The Underbelly (First Draft)

Eskrima

I took a moment to compose myself and felt my voice come out far calmer than it should have been, "what do you mean the war with the Surface? Are you suicidal?" I could feel the hysteria beginning to bubble to the surface, "you will all be annihilated! They would cover you in bodies! The only reason you've even been left alone is because they only consider you a nuisance!" Chaz was regarding me far too calmly and that made my temper overflow, "what about all of those children? The ones you said that you cared for? Are they going to be in this?" Chaz nodded solemnly, "they are going to be on the frontline." I deflated, "this is insanity."

My whispers were low and broken. I could feel tears brimming behind my eyelids. I looked at Chaz, "why would you do this? Why, what do you have to gain?" I could see the fury reignite in Chaz's eyes and he practically roared at me, "we have everything to gain! Don't insult my intelligence by telling me that the Surface is a fair and equal place. The lucky ones managed to escape to The Underbelly but most of the people are slaves up above. They have to live the lives laid out for them and if they deviate from it, even slightly, they are exterminated."

I swallowed past my beating heart, I had heard the stories of course, a teacher teaching what he shouldn't, a writer writing what he shouldn't and then disappearing overnight. I had always disregarded them, thinking that they were just urban legends to scare people but looking at Chaz now and the passion in his eyes, it was not possible to deny it anymore.

I suddenly felt tired, "so what will a war even accomplish? Even if you're right and the Surface is repressing its own people, they outnumber you a thousand to one. And that's not even taking into account that all the Surface cities help each other and will come to aid one if it's attacked." Chaz grinned, "trust me little Rissa, we have thought of that but since you're still in training I'll not fill you in the finer details."

I was not sure what was more unsettling, the fact that he called me Rissa or that he honestly believes that he can take over a city of millions with a couple of hundred criminals.

He was still waiting for me to pick up a weapon I flicked my wrists and I had my two trusty knives out, I had trained in Eskrima a Filipino martial art that helped me master blade work. When I had graduated my instructor had given me these two blades himself saying that he made them for me. At thirty centimetres long each, they were long blades but were also retractable and made it easy to hide them up my sleeves.

Chaz raised an eyebrow in surprise, "were you not searched before being let in?" I shrugged my shoulder, "no I wasn't, probably because they knew I was my dad's daughter." Chaz narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "ok then, can you use those?" I grinned, "of course." He grunted and strode over to a wall of lethal looking blades and chose a pair of katanas. I threw up my hands, "that's hardly fair! They must be both be twice as long as mine!" I could see a wicked sparkle enter his eye, "hasn't anyone ever told you that all's fair in love and war? Now back outside we got to make you a soldier in a couple weeks."

Oh right the war.

We soon found ourselves in a small enclosed mesh arena. The overhead lights were as strong as the sun and I was beginning to sweat. Chaz was standing in front of me with wooden versions of the katanas in his hands and I had the wooden versions of my daggers in mine. Apparently they don't like to cut their students on the first day. But every other day was fair game. Chaz shifted his stance, "I know you're able to take me on if you don't hold back but you can't rely on your gifts totally and we also need to push you to your limits physically to see what you got."

Without further ado he began slashing at me, it was the same as before but this time I decided to experiment a little, instead of reacting to his attacks I decided to act a little. I danced to the side and saw that he was ever so slightly off balance and used my momentum to slip in behind him. He saw his mistake and quickly snapped his blades behind him to protect his back. My wooden daggers raked across his wooden katanas, jarring my arm. He pressed his advantage used his superior weight and height to force me into the corner.