8 Part 1.8

And So The Clock Turns

There wasn't any warning for when Kuzric died. One day he was rubbing it in my face how his hockey team, 'Da Blitz Crew' beat mine, 'Team One'. News flash, my team always lost.

Even of we did lose all the time, at least we made Kuzric fight for it. Because of that, me and the guys on my team got fed. Our hockey games became pretty popular. The starving people flocked to watch sand hockey, and after a while guards would show up. For whatever reason they didn't try taking away our sticks, even if they were made out of carved stone and could be considered weapons.

Other teams would pop up from time to time, but only 'Da Blitz Crew' and 'Team One' stuck around. Probably because even if my team never beat Kuzric's, we beat everyone else like a murderer is tortured on Level Four.

Sand hockey is tough. It relies on you being thrown across blazing hot sand dunes and hitting a iron disc called the puck with your 'stick'. You have to hit the puck with your stick and get it into the opposing teams goal to get points.

First, you have to get past the opposing team who will try to beat you up with their stick and take the puck for themselves and their team. Then, even if you get past them, who you have to get the puck past the goalkeeper, who is usually the person you want to fight the least. They are the guy who will break you if you get too close. They were intimidating people who wore terrifying masks like mine. I had decided to just wear the mask Kuzric gave me all the time. It was the second gift I had ever been given after all, I even carved 10013 on the mask so people would know it was mine.

I played goalkeeper of course for my team. Kuzric let people with giant blood play as his goalkeepers. I have no idea how, but he could freakin teleport. As in, he would be in one place then appear somewhere else. Be wielded his stick like a master spinning it around and hitting the puck like a champion. He pretty much carried his team to victory.

Oh yah. I also got a tattoo, right over my heart. It turns out Impel Down, way back in the day, like pre-World Government, was a fortress for some warlord or something. He had a cool symbol and motto. 'I shall stand above D.' That was his motto. Then the symbol is a cut off image of an 'I' above a 'D'.

When the World Government took over they named the prison Impel Down for the whole 'ID' thing. I had a guy with no teeth and a broken pen give me the official symbol of Impel Down over my heart. Halfway through a few prisoners walked by and walked in. Then they started arguing about how I should get a different tattoo.

They all agreed on that, but then they couldn't agree on what tattoo I should get. They argued for so long that some guards walked in to see what the ruckus was. Then they started arguing with the prisoners about what kind of tattoo I should get. Half of the guards wanted me to keep getting the Impel Down tattoo, and the other half wanted me to get some other kind of Government related tattoo.

By the time they had all finished arguing and agreed that I should get multiple tattoos the old man with no teeth had finished and I was gone.

That was my tenth birthday.

Back to the present however. Kuzric is gone. I looked everywhere for him, but he was nowhere to be found. He had taught me a lot about fighting and hockey (They're the same thing, let's be honest.)

He was always honest with me. I appreciated that, and I'm going to miss him. Everyone knew he was going to be taken away one day and executed somewhere far away. He told me what he did to be committed for treason once. It was right after he tried to teach me how he hit the puck with his stick when he was far away. Then, he told me about Justice.

He believed you couldn't have Justice without sacrifice. Either your's or others. Then when it came down to it, any true believer in Justice would sacrifice themselves for the cause. Like he did.

The way he could go on and on about it makes me think that the whole Marine 'Justice' thing is some kind of religion and the different kinds of Justice are different sects of the same religion. I think. I don't know a lot about Justice, I haven't seen a lot of it.

With Kuzric gone, it was inevitable that the hockey teams would split. I still kept some pucks and my stick with me, but I didn't use themnat all. None of the guards tried to take them from me either. Probably because I have never fought the guards in my entire life.

Weeks after his death I still didn't know what to do with myself. I wandered from hallway to hallway without purpose. Just like I had for the rest of my life. It was nice being with Kuzric. He gave me something to do with myself. Goals. Reachable goals and something to do. That's what he gave me.

That's what I will miss the most about him.

"It's at times like this that Warden usually shows up." I say out loud.

"Well, he's touching himself and taking a shit, so he couldn't come. I came instead."

I turn around to see a large potbellied man. He wears a loincloth and some sort of headress with a canine animal on top. His eyebrows look like horns and he looks annoyed.

"Who are you?"

"Oh! You don't know who I am? This wouldn't happen if Magellan died and I became Warden. In fact, I hope he gets a hemorrhoid that gets infected and dies. Well, I'm Vice-Warden Hannyabal, and I have a message for you. I think it's a waste of time personally, one prisoner isn't that important if you ask me. Especially someone young like you. Hell, it would be great if you escaped! Then you would be free, Magellan would be fired and die of starvation out in the cruel world, and I would be Warden! Everybody wins." He laughs at what he said.

Is this guy for real? Because he looks a little bit like a pharaoh. Wait, whats a pharaoh?

"Nice to meet you sir."