Chapter 1: The Dark Place: Part One: Captured
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama. The Author ShowNOOMercy does not own any of it; he is just a Fanfiction Author who owns a Mac Laptop, so please don't sue him. I don't think it needs to be said, but just because I may make references to songs, movies, and video games, it doesn't mean I own them. I am just making references.
I do however own all of the Characters that are not from Dragon Ball Z, for example (but not limited to) Jaxon G. Fulmen, Tyrannous G. Fulmen, Sergeant Zeus Fulmen, Sergeant Hera Fulmen, Prophet Herelaah of the Vashmallian Empire, General Takeo Supreme Commander of Vashmallian Fleet One, Heinrich the Bounty Hunter, and last but no least Senior Lodo (you'll meet him later).
AUTHOR'S NOTE, IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: All right guys, we are here with Part Two of my EPIC series, YAY! If you're just starting this story and you haven't read part one, STOP, GO AND READ PART ONE, THEN READ PART TWO…SIMPLE MATH…ONE, THEN TWO! The first chapter contains spoilers that would ruin Part One for you. In fact, reading this book would spoil part one for you, so go ahead, go back and read part one. No, it's ok, I'll wait…done? Took you long enough.
PLEASE READ THIS: Ok, so I know that for some stupid reason I made Trunks and Goten 9 and 8 instead of 8 and 7. I made an error with my math when adding the six months since Buu. This 'error' has resulted in some 'stressful' conflicts in my timeline, which is the only thing I have to keep track of what's happened. After much deliberation, I decided to go back through Part 1 and 2 and change it, so now Trunks is 8, and Goten is 7.
This fanfict contains a lot of 'choice words' and 'language' that some readers may find offensive. Also there will in fact be violence, and drug references. Also, some references to suicide (not sure if anyone has any issues with that). Nothing sexual. I thought and I thunk and then I pondered for hours and hours. I debated on whether to rate this thing 'T' or 'M'. There are a few moments and one chapter that really just has some strong language and a good amount of violence. I thought of some twisted shit during this book, but I feel like it's not bad enough for 'M' so I rated it 'T'. If people feel like I need to change the ratings, I will happily do so, provided that they at least tell me why…I get curious about things. So again, I've mentioned the language and violence to all of you, so don't write a review complaining about the language, because chances are I'm probably going to ignore it.
Any reviews and/or issues related to Grammar…look at my profile. I have covered a lot of my grammar and writing techniques on my profile, and chances are that I'm not going to be making any major changes. If you do, however, see a SMALL grammar or spelling error, feel free to let me know, and I'll be happy to change it.
Expect this book to be longer than Part One. Expect some big plot twists, big actions scenes, and a whole army of new characters. You'll laugh, you'll cry, people will live, people will die, there will be lies, confessions, alliances, insanity, and during some moments you'll literally say what the frak?
As you all probably noticed, Guldo is no longer with us. I am doing "Author's Notes" at the beginning, and sometimes the end, of my chapters. I actually went back and changed it in Part One, so Guldo, Trunks, and Goten are out of the picture for disclaimers. I think it's better this way, and it's not like you come to read those short little things anyways; no, you're here for the story, and those segments were distracting.
One Last thing. In accordance with the rules of the site, I have decided not to include any more song lyrics in my stories. Nobody asked me to remove them, but I just feel like it's too big of a risk, and I've worked to hard on this series to have it taken down, so if there is a song that I wanted to play, you will see the title and artist of the song in italics right where it's supposed to start. Hopefully this doesn't take away from anything, but it's something that needed to be done.
If there is nothing else, then Ladies and Gentlemen, I present The Book Of Demons Part 2: The Demon.
Planet Fata
(The Following Has Been Translated From Sortosian To English For Your Convenience)
Smack! "He looks up to you and you punched him?"
"He was hitting my sword on a rock! Do you know how long it's going to take me to sharpen that?"
Smack! "He's five years old!" Zeus snarled, "You are his big brother, and I don't know what kind of sick fantasy land you think you live in, but in my world we don't hit our little brothers. You are going to apologize to him, and then you are going to refill the water tank, understand?"
"Yup."
Smack! "Tyrannous!" Zeus screamed. He was a very strong man in his mid-fifties wearing old clothes, and he had messy brown hair and a short beard.
"Yes sir!" Tyrannous yelped. The ten-year-old boy quickly ran out of the ship and rubbed his cheek. "Stupid kid gets away with everything." Tyrannous mumbled, "Jaxon, I'm sorry." Tyrannous grunted.
"Ahem!" Tyrannous turned to see his father, "Say it like you mean it."
"…Jaxon, I'm…" Tyrannous let out a sigh, "Come here." The little boy didn't move, "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you." Jaxon slowly walked over to his Big Brother. Tyrannous knelt down and examined his brother's black eye, "I'm sorry for hitting you."
"…I…I'm sorry for touching your sword." Jaxon said.
"It's ok." Tyrannous said. Even though the kid gets on his nerves sometimes, he loves his little brother.
"Tyrannous, go and get water, and be quick about it." Zeus growled, "Jaxon, come inside. I have an ice pack for you." Tyrannous grabbed a bucket and walked off. It would take him a few hours to fill the water tank with the bucket, but it had to be done.
"…Don't you think you're being just a little hard on him, Zeus?" Hera walked over to her husband. She had long brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was also wearing old and dirty clothes.
"Oh no, he's been nothing but trouble lately. Between him mouthing off and pushing his brother around, he's been acting like a little jerk. This was the last straw." Zeus grabbed an ice pack and knelt down in front of his youngest son, "Here you go, son." The man held the ice pack over the boy's eye. Jaxon wrapped his arms around his father; Zeus let out a sigh and lifted the boy into his arms. Jaxon smiled and rested his head on the man's shoulder.
"You didn't need to hit him." Hera protested.
"Then how else is he going to learn?" Zeus asked, "My father beat me when I didn't listen, his father beat him when he didn't listen. If you ask me, the boy gets off too easy. He needs to learn some respect."
"Fine." Hera let out a long sigh, "But just remember, he's been through a lot this year. Try not to be too hard on him."
"Hn." Zeus grunted.
With Tyrannous
In his own opinion, his father liked Jaxon more than him. Sure, Jaxon was younger than him, but he never got in trouble. Instead it was always Tyrannous's fault. Nobody can even imagine how mad his father was when he came back with Jaxon and the Book Of Kamell. Jaxon didn't get in trouble for running off in the cave; Tyrannous got in trouble for going into the cave, getting separated from his little brother, and bringing this frakking Book into their lives. His father had yelled at him several times for that day. He knew his father blamed him for everything that had happened to them; the Vashmall, their Planet being destroyed, Kamell and Morgana possessing his brother from time to time, it was all his fault. Tyrannous held up his fist and swung it down onto the boulder he was sitting on…not a very smart thing to do. Tyrannous said a few choice words and rubbed his now bleeding hand.
"Stupid sharp piece of shit." Tyrannous mumbled. Oblivious to the young Sortosian, his eyes were flickering a bright gold color. No one had ever noticed, but it was something that happened whenever the boy got angry or upset about something. Tyrannous took off his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants. He put his feet into the water and let out a sigh; life kind of sucks. I mean, everything was so depressing and there was so much loss, this couldn't be all life had to offer. He was just a kid, but he felt like he never got to have any fun; it was always work, train, work, train, work, sleep, eat, get hit by father for messing something up, apologizing, work, train, eat, sleep, and yet he loved it. He loved spending time with his family, and even though they don't always get along, he didn't know what he would do without them.
"Guten Tag."
"Ah!" Tyrannous nearly jumped out of his pants. He turned to see a rather odd-looking man wearing tan hiking pants, a tan jacket, tan hat, and black gloves, and his ears were pointy. The man hooked a small device to the side of his mouth and pressed a button three times.
"Meine name ist Heinrich." Tyrannous flinched; the man was speaking Sortosian (his native language) "Oh, you're bleeding." The man sat down next to Tyrannous and grabbed his bloody hand.
"Wh…who are you?" Tyrannous shook.
"Ich just told you, Heinrich." The man said, "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
"My…my father says I shouldn't t…talk to strangers." Tyrannous pulled away and stood up.
"Your father? Perhaps you could introduce me?" Heinrich stood up.
"…No." Tyrannous took his knife out. "Go away!"
"Ich will leave…" Heinrich said, "But only if you give me de Book of Kamell und de Book Keeper."
"Hah…" Tyrannous's eyes shot wide open and his heart sank.
"Vashmall, und ja, Prophet Herelaah sent me personally." Heinrich smiled evilly.
"…Ha!" Tyrannous charged forwards and jammed the knife into Heinrich's eyes.
"Aah!" Heinrich grabbed Tyrannous by the neck and the two fell into the river.
Back At Camp
"Aah." Zeus looked up and frowned.
"Did you hear that?" Hera looked up.
"…You and Jaxon get in the ship, I'll be back." Zeus grabbed his sword and took off.
With Tyrannous
"Ich always hated de Sortosians." Heinrich held Tyrannous underwater, "They were nothing but un race of rats!" Tyrannous began to feel dizzy and his vision began to blur. "By de way." Heinrich pulled the knife out of his eye; it slowly healed and was soon good as new. He squeezed the knife and swung it right into the boy's leg, "Ich would take your eye, but Ich like to see de white of meine victim's eyes before Ich kill them." Tyrannous released his remaining air and screamed in pain.
"Ha!" Zeus swung his sword and cut Heinrich's head off, "Tyrannous!" Zeus grabbed his son and pulled him up. Zeus gave the boy a few hard pats on the back, and he began to violently cough up water.
"I'm sorry." Tyrannous grabbed onto his father.
"Come on, we need to get out of here." Zeus lifted the boy into his arms and took to the skies.
"Why do they always run?" Heinrich, fully regenerated, stood up and rung out his hat, "So it's un game of cat und mouse." The Vashmallian took out a small whistle and blew into it as hard as he could. The Bounty Hunter looked up and smiled as his ship and several others flew over the river towards the Rat's little nest.
Back At Camp
"Start the engines!" Zeus screamed as he flew towards the ship. Hera immediately grabbed Jaxon and strapped him into his seat. She then sat down at the controls and powered up the engines. Zeus flew into the ship with Tyrannous and shut the door. He strapped his son into his chair and studied his leg. The ship started to shake and they began to rise off the ground.
"Zeus, what are…"
"They found us." Zeus said, "The Vashmallians found us."
Heinrich emerged from the forest and watched as the ship rose to the sky. He took out his radio and pressed a button, "Ram them. Ram those frakking Rats to de ground."
"Wiederholen?"
"Grrr." Heinrich pressed the device hooked to his mouth, "Klopfen sie diese ratte aus dem himmel!"
"Jawohl." Heinrich watched as his ship flew over him and straight towards the escaping ship.
"Tun es jetzt!" Heinrich screamed. Heinrich's superior and much larger ship smashed into the Sortosian's ship. The smaller ship completely lost control and started to turn and flip in all directions. The ship started to move towards the ground and smashed into the forest where it was pushed by its' engines through the tree.
"Hold on!" Zeus held onto Tyrannous for dear life as their ship crashed through the forest. The ship continued to move until it smashed into a large rock formation
"Excellent." Heinrich smiled evilly, "Secure de area around de ship. Ich shall take them alive." Heinrich made his way towards the wreck; Herelaah would greatly reward him for this capture.
"Father?" Tyrannous slowly opened his eyes; he was still strapped to his seat. At first he was disoriented, but it didn't take very long for him to figure out that the ship was on its' side. As his vision un-blurred, he saw his saw his father below him on the opposite side of the ship. Zeus pulled himself across the floor towards a box of guns that had broken open while the ship was crashing through the trees. "Dad, what should…"
"Put pressure on your leg and stay up there." Zeus growled.
"But dad, I…"
"Tyrannous, shut up and do as you are told!" Zeus snarled.
"Yes sir." Tyrannous pressed his hands over his stab wound.
"Attention Sortosian Scum! We have your ship surrounded. Surrender yourselves along with de Book Keeper und de Book of Kamell."
"Is everyone ok?" Zeus grabbed one of his guns and aimed it at the door.
"We're fine. Jaxon is shaken, but ok." Hera said as she tried to calm her youngest son.
"Ich repeat, we have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up!"
"Hold on." Hera unstrapped herself and made her way over to the box of guns. Tyrannous unstrapped himself and fell to the ground. He blocked the pain in his leg and reached for a gun.
"What the hell did I just say?" Zeus grabbed the boy's arm.
"But I can help." Tyrannous insisted.
"You want to help? Take your brother into the back and hide." Zeus growled.
"But I can fight with…"
"Tyrannous." Hera stopped her son, "Do as your father says."
"…Fine." Tyrannous limped over to his little brother and unstrapped him.
"This ist de Vashmallian Empire! Give yourselves up! You can not escape!" Heinrich sounded increasingly annoyed.
"Ssssh, it's ok." Tyrannous held Jaxon in his arms as he limped to the back of the ship.
"This ist your final warning! Come out now!" Heinrich screamed.
"Come and get me, swine." Zeus growled. Tyrannous put his brother into the bathroom and then crawled through the sideways door; he shut the door and locked it.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Zeus and Hera could hear someone walking on the ship.
"Un year." They heard Heinrich's voice above them, "I've spent un frakking year looking for you rats, und now I've finally found you." Heinrich kicked the door several times. The moment the door broke and fell to the ground, Zeus and Hera opened fired. Inside the bathroom, Tyrannous and Jaxon were huddled together. Tyrannous started humming to his brother, which seemed to calm him down.
Click…click, click, click! Zeus and Hera checked their guns; they were out of ammo.
"Und Ich don't have time for your shit!" Heinrich jumped through the door and landed in front of the two parents. Zeus and Hera frantically tried to reload, but Heinrich was in no mood for games. He had spent a long and stressful year trying to find the Book of Kamell, and he was anxious to get it back to Prophet Herelaah as soon as possible. Zeus held up his gun and shot the Vashmallian in the head several times, but to Zeus's surprise, the man grabbed his gun and pulled it out of his hands. Heinrich regenerated and swung the gun across Zeus's face. Hera launched forwards and tackled Heinrich to the ground, "Worthless rat!" Heinrich clawed at the woman's face.
"Zeus!" Hera screamed. Zeus reached for the box of guns. Heinrich kicked Hera off of him and quickly got to his feet. He grinded his teeth and stomped down on the woman's head several times.
"Get away from her!" Zeus opened fire with his shotgun, blowing several large holes in the Bounty Hunter's head and chest. Heinrich fell to his knees and then hit the ground. Zeus shot the body several times just in case. He stared at the fallen Vashmallian and let out a sigh, "Hera, are you Ah!" Heinrich's hand shot out and he grabbed Zeus's ankle.
"Frakking…" Heinrich stumbled to his feet and regenerated, "Rat!" Heinrich swung Zeus into the wall. He walked over to the man and sat down on him; pinning him to the ground. Heinrich cracked his knuckles and repeatedly punched Zeus across the face, "Where's that son of yours, rat? Ich have some unfinished business with him." Heinrich laughed.
"Ha!" Heinrich looked down to see a bloody blade sticking out of his chest.
"Stupid wench!" Heinrich swung around and grabbed Hera by the neck, "Aww, what's wrong Fräulein? Cat got your tongue?" Hera's face turned blue as she struggled to get air. She kicked Heinrich as hard as she could, but the Vashmallian didn't budge. Just then, Zeus grabbed Heinrich and threw him to the ground; Hera was released. Zeus grabbed his sword and began slicing Heinrich into hundreds of pieces. He didn't stop until Heinrich was nothing but a pile of blood and flesh on the floor.
"Let's see you put yourself together now!" Zeus began stomping on the piece of blood and gore.
"…Is he dead?" Hera rubbed her neck and tried to catch her breath.
"What do you think?" Zeus laughed.
"Nein!"
"What the frak?" Zeus backed away as the body pieces began to move. The Vashmallian once again began to regenerate.
"Are you finished?" Heinrich brushed the dirt off his jacket and smiled, "You can keep trying dis all day, und I'll just keep coming back."
"Wh…what are you?" Zeus took a step back.
"Ich am your downfall." Heinrich took out his whistle and blew into it, "Your defeat, your demise, your end, your disgrace; call it whatever you wish, de point ist, I'm taking you to De Civitate Dei…" One of the Guards dropped a large gun through the door, "…Now." Heinrich caught the gun and took aim.
"Not without a fight!" Zeus jumped at the man, "Akakakaka!" Zeus was hit by the gun's beam and fell to the floor where he started to violently shake.
"Zeus!" Before Hera had time to react, she was hit by the gun and started to violently shake on the ground.
"Ich call it de Rat-Trap 9000." Heinrich smirked, "Un big improvement over de Rat-Trap 8000." Heinrich blew into his whistle again, and several Vashmallian Royal Guards entered the ship, "Prep them for de trip." Heinrich turned to the bathroom located at the rear of the ship, "I've waited so long for this day." Heinrich slowly walked towards the door. He dropped his gun and took off his gloves, "De Book of Kamell shall be opened." Heinrich cracked his knuckles, "De Great Journey shall begin." Heinrich reached for the handle, "Und Ich shall be paid de biggest reward of meine career!" Heinrich broke the door off the wall and reached inside, "Come to Heinrich…rats?" Heinrich froze and blinked several times, "Wh…Ich…how?" The bathroom was empty.
"Th…that a b…b…boy, T…T…Tyrannous." Zeus chuckled. Tyrannous and Jaxon made their escape while Heinrich was fighting them.
"Nein!" Heinrich screamed. He blasted out of the ship and looked around, "Where are they? You were supposed to keep watch!" Heinrich screamed; the other Guards backed away in fear. How could they have escaped? Heinrich turned to the other side of the ship to see three dead Vashmallian Guards, "How could he?" Heinrich screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Sir, we are sorry." One of the Guards bowed.
"Frak de apology!" Heinrich snarled, "Secure de parents, I'm going after de Book Keeper und his brother!" The man jumped to the ground and looked around. He knelt down onto one knee and smiled, "Ich haven't failed yet." Heinrich followed the small trail of blood into the forest.
With Tyrannous
"Come on, you have to walk now." Tyrannous set his brother down and fell to one knee.
"…T…Ty, you've got blood." Jaxon pointed at the large bloodstain on his brother's pants.
"I'm fine." Tyrannous grabbed his brother's shoulder and pushed himself up, "Come on, we need to move." Jaxon grabbed his brother's hand as they moved deeper into the forest. The older boy only had a sword to defend him and his brother.
"I'm coming for you, rats!"
"Shit!" Upon hearing Heinrich's voice in the distance, Tyrannous ran as fast as he could with his brother.
"T…Ty! Slow down!" Jaxon couldn't keep up, and he was basically being dragged.
"Can't, ah!" Tyrannous's leg was throbbing with pain, but he had to keep running. He couldn't let Heinrich capture his brother.
"Ty, let's hide!" Jaxon yelped.
"That's!…not a bad idea." Tyrannous started to slow his pace as he looked for a hiding spot. Jaxon's eyes widened and he looked at his book.
"Ty, Kamell says that there's a cave over there." Jaxon pointed.
"Tell Kamell to frak off." Tyrannous snarled.
"…I can't say that word." Jaxon said.
'Does your brother ever listen to my advice?' Kamell growled, 'It's dark in a cave, and the Bounty Hunter won't see you.'
"It's dark in a cave, and the Bunny Hunter can't see us." Jaxon smiled.
'Oh my Gods you're such an idiot.' Kamell mumbled.
"Jaxon, the last time I went into a cave with you, we came out with a Book that has two of the most annoying frakkers in the Universe living inside it." Tyrannous growled.
"You can not escape me, rats!" Heinrich sounded like he was getting closer.
"…Ok, fine." Tyrannous sighed in defeat, "Which way?" Tyrannous followed his brother to the cave's entrance.
"…Uh…it's kind of dark in there." Jaxon was having second thoughts.
"We don't have time, let's go." Tyrannous grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him into the cave. He created a small KI ball to use as a flashlight. Jaxon was practically hugging his brother as they journeyed deep into the cave. The older boy found a large rock that they could hide behind. Tyrannous sat down and held his brother on his lap as they waited.
"Psh…" Heinrich sadistically smirked as he knelt down in front of the cave. He studied a small amount of blood on the ground and reached into his jacket. He pulled out some goggles and put them on; he pushed a button and entered the cave.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Heinrich intentionally stomped his boots on the wet cave floor.
"Ich know you're in here, rats." Heinrich said in a loud whisper, "Come out, come out, where ever you are."
Tyrannous held his hand over his brother's mouth while holding his own breath. He knew all about the Vashmallian Empire, even before his Planet was destroyed. He heard all of the horrible and terrifying stories, and right now he was terrified. His parents were captured, he was in a dark cave with a crazy Bounty Hunter who could regenerate himself, and he had to protect his little brother; it wasn't a good situation. Just then, it got silent…it got dead silent. The only thing Tyrannous could hear was his heart beating out of his chest. He covered his own mouth to keep from making any noise. Medical testing, slave labor, torture, and inhumane living conditions were just some of the things he heard about in the stories about these Religious freaks. These were also the same animals that destroyed his Planet, so he already knew they were a ruthless group of people. Just then, he felt something warm and wet on his lap. He felt around for a moment and realized that his little brother was so afraid that he peed himself. The poor kid was actually so terrified that he wet himself. Tyrannous felt several tears roll over his hand, which was covering his brother's mouth. He slowly pulled Jaxon closer and gently rubbed his shoulder. He didn't blame the boy; accidents happen, and right now Tyrannous felt like he was going to have an accident himself. Ten minutes had passed, and they hadn't heard a single sound. Tyrannous concentrated; the only energy he could sense was his brother's. Maybe Heinrich left the cave to go look somewhere else. Whatever the case may be they couldn't stay in this cave forever. At that moment, the boy made a decision; he held up his hand and created a very small KI ball. He set his brother down and placed a finger over the boy's lips, signaling him to be as quiet as possible. Jaxon tightly gripped his brother's hand as they stood up. Just as he was about to start walking, he noticed his little brother's face. He was looking up with the most terrified expression Tyrannous had ever seen. Tyrannous slowly turned and looked to the top of the rock they were hiding behind; Tyrannous felt his heart stop.
"Auf wiedersehen, rats." Heinrich pulled the trigger and shot the boys with his Rat-Trap.
Back At The Ship
"…No." Zeus stumbled to his feet, but was knocked back to the ground by one of the Guards. He was wearing a large metal device around his neck, and his arms and legs were chained up. Hera was sitting next to her husband, chained up and wearing the same device around her neck. The parents watched as Heinrich dragged their sons out of the forest and threw Tyrannous to the ground; he held onto Jaxon to make sure he stayed safe.
"Mom, D…dad." Tyrannous looked away from his parents, "I'm sorry."
"Chain him." Heinrich gently felt the symbol on the Book of Kamell, "What ist your name, boy?"
"I…I…I want my mommy!" Jaxon was still shaking from the Rat-Trap. Several Guards grabbed Tyrannous and chained him up. Then they put a large metal collar around his neck, just like his parents. They collar was big, uncomfortable, and it was actually hurting the boy.
"De collars you wear will keep you from using your energy und strength. Try to resist, und you will be shocked." Heinrich held up a small remote and pressed a button.
"Akakakaka!" Tyrannous screamed as the collar delivered a very painful shock.
"Stop it!" Zeus got to his feet, but was shocked by his collar and fell over.
"Daddy!" Jaxon cried.
"Again, what ist your name, boy!" Heinrich snarled.
"J…J…Jaxon." The boy whispered.
"Well, Jaxon." Heinrich walked over to his Guards, "Enjoy dis moment, because dis ist your last moment of freedom in dis Universe." Heinrich placed a large metal collar around the boy's neck, "Ich am taking you to De Civitate Dei where de Book of Kamell shall be opened. Once it ist opened, you shall have nein more purpose in dis Universe, und you und your rat family shall DIE!" Heinrich laughed.
"No!" Jaxon screamed
"Ja!" Heinrich laughed, "Und it ist going to be All. Your. Fault!"
"M…My fault?" Jaxon yelped, "But I didn't mean to! It was an accident, and…"
"Shut up." Heinrich snarled, "Move de prisoners onto de ship, now!" With that, the Guards dragged Zeus, Hera, and Tyrannous into Heinrich's ship. "Seal de boy's wound. Ich don't want him bleeding out before we arrive to de fleet." Heinrich took out an ID card and used it to open a room. Zeus and Hera were thrown inside while two of the Guards cut a hole in Tyrannous's pants and took out some kind of can with a long tube on the top. Tyrannous bit his lip and blocked out the pain as they seal his stab wound with some kind of foam (which stung like hell). "I'm in un good mood today, Book Keeper. Du may stay with your pathetic family during our trip." Heinrich pushed Jaxon into the room. Tyrannous was thrown into the room, and the door was shut, locked, and heavily Guarded by ten Vashmallian Guards armed with two swords each, grenades, guns, and body armor. "This ist un great day in de Vashmallian History." Heinrich smiled evilly, "Tell de pilot that we are ready to take off. Our destination, De Civitate Dei!"
The prison cell was pitch black and filled with the foulest odor the family had ever smelled. Jaxon was sobbing and repeatedly apologizing.
"I…I didn't mean to make us die!" Jaxon cried, "I'm sorry! It was an accident! I'm so sorry!"
"Shut up stupid!" Tyrannous snarled, "It wasn't your fault, it was mine." Tyrannous was happy that it was dark so no one could see his tears.
"Boys! No one is at fault here." Zeus said, "It…"
"Father, I'm…I'm so sorry." Tyrannous choked, "I led him to us. I didn't mean to, but he was strong and when I stabbed him and he regenerated himself, and then he followed us when I ran with Jaxon, and then we hid in the cave, but he found us, and I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"
"Tyrannous, listen to me. The only one to blame is the Vashmallians." Zeus said.
"No! It's my fault!" Tyrannous cried, "If I had looked after Jaxon, we never would have found the Book!"
"Tyrannous…"
"And then they wouldn't have come to our planet, and we would still have a home!" Tyrannous cried.
"Tyrannous!" Hera yelled, "Calm yourself. It's going to be ok." Tyrannous took several deep breaths and scooted over to his mother.
"I'm so sorry." Tyrannous whimpered
"Sssh. It's ok." Hera felt her oldest son lean on her shoulder, "Everything is going to be ok." Jaxon scooted over to his big brother and leaned on his shoulder.
"…I'm sorry." Jaxon whispered.
"Just shut up, Jaxon." Tyrannous mumbled. Zeus took a deep breath and let out a long sigh; they were all going to die.
Vashmallian Holy City De Civitate Dei, AKA The City Of God
At first glance, it could be mistaken for a planet, but when you took that second glance (and everyone always took a second glance), most people would be overcome with fear. It was the size of a small moon; around 310 miles diameter (500 kilometers). It had five massive cone-like appendages coming off of it; each appendage at least 50 miles wide and 100 miles in length. It was silver with thousands of red and blue lights covering it. In the center was what looked like a round, massive, green gemstone. It was De Civitate Dei; the Vashmallian Holy City. De Civitate Dei was a planet sized space station, and it was the Mother Ship of the Vashmallian Empire. The massive ship was surrounded by hundreds (at least a thousand) smaller ships. The Vashmallian fleet was composed of two types of Warships: The Cruisers and the Carriers. The Cruisers were about a mile long and half a mile wide. The Carriers (or Capital Ships, as they were sometimes called) were about three and a half miles long and about one and a third mile wide. The Cruisers outnumbered the Carriers about 10 to 2. Of course there were a lot of other smaller ships, like Heinrich's, which had just exited a space jump. A space jump (in this fanfict) is similar to traveling at the speed of light, except not as fast, but I'll explain this technology later.
The trip from Planet Fata to the Vashmallian Fleet had taken them about two weeks, and what a horrible two weeks it was. They soon realized just how small their Prison Cell was, which they spent 95% of their time in. The other 5% was with Heinrich and his crew. The Bounty Hunter would be required to give a full report to the Prophets, and to complete his report he needed some questions answered. He would individually take each member of the family and 'question' them. When it became clear that Zeus and Tyrannous would not cooperate, Heinrich resorted to some 'negative reinforcement'. He repeatedly shocked the rats with their collars. It took a little longer than Heinrich had wanted, but they eventually talked. Their collars also had a built in translator and could translate almost any language. It was a little more expensive, but seeing how there were hundreds of different species in the Vashmall, it made things easier when dealing with prisoners.
When they weren't being questioned, they were stuck in that small, damp, hot, dark, and smelly prison cell. The cell was kept pitch black, and they were treated like animals. They were given minimal food and water, and the food tasted horrible. As far as using the Bathroom, Heinrich simply provided the rats with a bucket. Tyrannous was almost shocked when the man gave it to them.
"You can't be serious!" Tyrannous had yelled, "You can't treat us like this! This is inhumane!"
"Hmph." Heinrich simply shocked the boy with his collar and laughed, "Foolish rat, meine only task is to get you to De Civitate Dei alive. Ich could care less about your comfort."
When the ship finally arrived to one of De Civitate Dei's main hangers, it was time for the family's real Hell to begin. The cell door opened and the rats were dragged out. They began to cough and gasp for fresh air. They were still chained up and wearing their metal collars.
"…By the Gods." The family looked up to see a very large man standing before them. He was about seven feet tall, black buzz-cut, grey skin, heavily built, and wearing a highly decorated Vashmallian military uniform and sunglasses.
"Ich told you Ich captured them." Heinrich laughed.
"…Prophet Herelaah will be most pleased." General Takeo smiled, "Heinrich, you may deliver the Book Keeper yourself. You have done a great service to our Glorious Empire."
"Long Live de Vashmall." Heinrich saluted.
"Long Live the Vashmall." Takeo returned the salute.
"Who the frak are you?" Takeo looked down and frowned.
"Tyrannous, shut up!" Zeus hissed.
"This one still needs to learn some respect." Heinrich growled, "All he does ist complain und never cooperates."
"Do not worry, Heinrich." Takeo knelt down in front of the boy, "He will learn his place. My name is General Takeo, and you are…"
"Tyrannous." The boy cut in.
"Boy, shut up." Zeus mumbled. His son was going to get himself in trouble if he kept talking.
"Well Tyrannous, you are going to a dark place." Takeo said, "You are going to a dark place with no hope. A place where no one will hear your screams, your begs, your cries." Tyrannous slowly frowned, "You will know suffering and pain beyond your darkest nightmares. You are going to this dark place, and I will be the one to bring you there." Tyrannous slowly scooted away from the General, "The name of this place; De Civitate Dei." Takeo grabbed the chains holding the boy's arms and legs, and dragged him towards the door.
"Hey! Get off!" Tyrannous yelled. The other Royal Guards grabbed Zeus and Hera and dragged them to the door. Heinrich stared at the Book Keeper and took a deep breath.
"This is it." Heinrich grabbed the Book Keeper and slowly walked towards the door. General Takeo handed Tyrannous over to one of the other Guards and exited the ship.
"Attention Vashmallian Brothers and Sisters!" General Takeo yelled. Everyone in the massive hanger stopped what they were doing, and looked at the General, "We have waited so long for this day." The Guards dragged Tyrannous out of the ship. "We have searched this Universe for years!" The Guards dragged Zeus out of the ship. "But what was once lost has finally been found!" The Guards dragged Hera out of the ship. "Thanks to the highly skilled and Elite Bounty Hunter Heinrich, fellow Vashmallians, may I present the Book of Kamell!" Everyone gasped as Heinrich slowly exited the ship with Jaxon in his hands. He looked around and smiled; he held the Book Keeper in the air.
"Let the Great Journey begin!" At those words, the hanger erupted into applause and cheers. At least one hundred additional Vashmallian Guards surrounded the family and held up their weapons, "General Takeo, with your permission Ich would like to meet with de Nobel Hierarchs." Heinrich laughed.
"Oh ho ho, I don't know Heinrich." Takeo said sarcastically, "You know that they never call for an immediate meeting unless it's something important." Takeo and Heinrich started laughing uncontrollably, "But I think today they'll make an exception!"
"Onwards!" Heinrich laughed, "Schnell, schnell!"
"On your feet, rats!" The Guards pulled the family to their feet and pushed them forwards. With chains holding their feet, it was rather difficult to walk.
"Move faster, rat!" One of the Guards pushed Tyrannous causing the boy to trip on his chains and hit the ground. "Grrr! Get up!" The Guard snarled. Tyrannous couldn't help it; his leg still hurt from when Heinrich stabbed him. Also he had been treated like crap for two weeks, and his body felt weak. Before the Guard could grab the boy, Zeus quickly helped his son up.
"Stay close to me, understand?" Zeus whispered.
"Yes sir." Tyrannous was getting nervous; he moved close to his father and started to limp through the hanger. Heinrich slowly walked through the hanger with the crying Book Keeper held high above his head. Every Vashmallian who ran into the hanger greeted him with cheers and applause.
Prophet Herelaah's Inner Sanctum
"This makes no sense." Prophet Herelaah stared into his crystal ball, "Why is this one so different than all the others? This one has no Saiyan Prince Vegeta, no Son Goku, no Namekian Piccolo, no Guardian Dende, no Son Goten. This one is…interesting." Prophet Herelaah heard a knock on his door, "Grrr. I shall see you Son Gohan, and you too Trunks Briefs, later. Why have you disturbed me?" The Prophet growled.
"My lord, forgive me." The Guard bowed, "I have urgent news."
"Rise." Herelaah held up his hand, "This news that you speak of better hold great significance."
"It does, Holy One." The Guard stood up.
With Heinrich
"Do you hear that?" Heinrich was starting to tear up, "They're singing."
Prophet Herelaah led our soul Tyrannous kept very close to his father as they continued towards their unknown destination. There were thousands of Vashmallians cheering and singing, and Tyrannous was starting to get scared, of course he would never admit it to anyone.
He led us to the path
We have fulfilled our role
May all suffer our wrath
We searched far and we searched wide
For the mighty Book of Kamell
We honor all those who have died
We bid them a fond farewellHera made several attempts to get close enough to her crying son to calm him, but each time she was pushed away. Her oldest son seemed to be doing ok, of course he probably didn't know what was going to happen. She had a feeling that the trip to this ship was only the beginning, and they would be in for the most horrible experience of their lives.
The Prophet has the key
To open our Book so sacred
Kamell shall be set free
The blessed path we will tread
Heinrich led the group through De Civitate Dei, and the family started to realize that this was going to be a very long walk. Tyrannous almost fell over several times due to his leg, but his father caught him, and kept him going. He knew if his son fell, they would try to hurt him, and with his collar and chains, Zeus wouldn't be able to defend him. The only thing they could do now is wait and think of a plan.
When he opens the gates of hell
And punishes all who sin
All hail the mighty Kamell
Let the Great Journey begin!
For two hours they walked. For two hours they listened to this mediocre song as they took elevators, stairs, hallways, and bridges through this massive ship. Some parts were very open, stretching almost ten miles. Some parts could possibly make you feel claustrophobic. They finally reached their last stretch of walkway, and it was filled with hundreds of thousands of Vashmallians on both sides. This area must have been at least thirty miles wide and five miles high, and it looked like a city. There were buildings and streets, and there was a massive cylinder-like structure in the middle that went from the floor to the ceiling.
Heinrich! Heinrich! Heinrich! Heinrich! Heinrich! Heinrich! Heinrich! Heinrich!
Heinrich held Jaxon by his arm and showed everyone their Holy Book. This was a great day in the Bounty Hunter's career. He would go down in the history books as the man who secured the Key of Kamell and the Book of Kamell. He would become the richest man in the Universe.
Long! Live! The! Vashmall! Long! Live! The! Vashmall! Long! Live! The! Vashmall!
They walked down this path for at least two miles and reached a small fleet of airboats. The rats were dragged onto the boats and chained to their seats. Heinrich spent a few minutes talking with the drivers before they took off towards the large structure in the middle of the city.
"…Dad, where are we going?" Tyrannous whispered.
"I don't know." Zeus grunted, "Keep quiet."
"What, are you not talking to me?" Tyrannous growled.
"Tyrannous, don't you dare start with me." Zeus growled.
"You've hardly said anything since we were captured. Are…are you mad at me or something?" Tyrannous asked.
"Nein talking." Heinrich growled.
"I will talk to you later." Zeus growled, "Right now you need to do as you are told and keep quiet."
"Ich said nein talking!" Heinrich snarled.
"Just be quiet." Zeus said.
"…Yes sir." Tyrannous mumbled.
Vashmallian Council Chamber
It was a very large circular room, and it was well guarded. There were high-ranking soldiers and monsters everywhere. There was a balcony that had the highest (and most decorated) throne in the room. There were then ten thrones just a few feet below the balcony. Around the room were bleacher-like seats that could probably sit at least a few hundred. It was probably the most decorated part of the ship Tyrannous had seen. The walls were covered with jewels and gold, and there were several large statues around the room. As news of the Book of Kamell spread through out the ship, the seats quickly filled, including one of the ten thrones. It was some kind of hologram of something that could only be described as a jellyfish. The other nine thrones filled with very odd-looking aliens who were all wearing highly decorated robes. Each time one of the aliens entered, everyone was told to stand. Tyrannous and his family were dragged into the room and their chains were hooked to large rings bolted to the ground. They were on their knees with their arms and legs held behind them. The room filled with applause as Heinrich entered with the Book Keeper. He moved to the center of the room, got to his knees, and held Jaxon up towards the ten aliens.
"Holy Prophets, Ich present you with this gift; de Book Keeper und de Book of Kamell." Heinrich said.
"You have done well, Heinrich."
"All rise!" Takeo yelled. Everyone in the room stood up as an alien entered the highest balcony and sat down.
"You may sit." The alien said. He was probably the most decorated alien in the room. He was wearing long red and black robes, a large crown, and he had a piece of cloth covering the lower half of his face. The only thing you could see was his yellowish eyes, and light blue skin, "Let us take roll."
"Prophet Rubrum."
"Prophet Aurantiacis."
"Prophet Flavus."
"Prophet Viridi."
"Prophet Hyacintho."
"Prophet Indicum."
"Prophet Brunneis."
"Prophet Album."
"Prophet Arcus."
"Prophet Pugare."
"Prophet Herelaah." The alien on the highest balcony said, "Everyone is present. Let it be noted that Prophet Pugare is leading an expedition to find the Great Elephant Demon Gore-Gus-Khan, but he joins us through the hologram." To Tyrannous it sounded like he said Goneshkan. "I now call this emergency council meeting to order. I shall now say what most, if not all, of you know. After centuries of searching, after hundreds of setbacks, after hundreds of thousands of Vashmallian brothers and sisters were killed, after our faith was tested time and time again, we have finally found our Portal to the Great Journey, our Path to Power, our Holy and Sacred Book of Kamell has been found!" Everyone burst into cheers. Herelaah's chair floated into the air and he floated down to Heinrich, "You will find your payment in your room. You have done a great service to our great Empire, Heinrich."
"Long Live de Vashmall." Heinrich bowed and presented the child to the Prophet.
"I have waited so long for this day." Herelaah whispered as he took the trembling child. The Prophet ran his finger across the Book's cover. He followed the symbol with his finger and gently stroked the Book's spine. Herelaah looked memorized by the item he had spent over three hundred years searching for, and now it was finally in his hands. Herelaah turned his attention to the absolutely terrified Book Keeper. "Now how were you able to escape Planet Sortos?" Herelaah gently ran his fingers along the boy's face, "A better question is where have you been hiding? It took us a year to find you." Herelaah ran his fingers through the boy's hair. Just then, Herelaah took out a small knife. He grabbed the boy's hand and cut deep into his palm, causing Jaxon to scream and cry.
"Don't touch him!" Zeus, Hera, and Tyrannous all yelled. Herelaah's head slowly turned and he stared at the filthy, smelly, 'lower' life forms chained to the floor.
"Heinrich, what are these?" Herelaah slowly moved Jaxon's hand under the cloth covering his mouth and licked up the blood.
"De Book Keeper's family." Heinrich said.
"Interesting." Herelaah licked his lips, "So it would appear that they have hidden this Book, which clearly belongs to the Vashmall, for a year, thus committing crimes against the Vashmallian Religion."
"Crimes?" Tyrannous snarled.
"Tyrannous shut the frak up." Zeus hissed; why was he still talking? What possible reason did the boy have to continue talking? Why couldn't his son just shut his mouth? Was it really that hard?
"I suppose you plead innocent?" Herelaah continued to lick the blood off Jaxon's hand.
"What the hell do you think, stupid?" Tyrannous snarled.
"Tyrannous!" Zeus yelled.
"…You would be wise to listen to your father, boy." Herelaah growled, "Disrespecting a Vashmallian Prophet is a serious crime."
"So let me get this straight, you blow up my planet and…"
"Tyrannous, shut…"
"No!" Tyrannous's eyes flooded with tears, "They destroyed our home, our planet! They killed all of our friends, our family, everyone!" Tyrannous yelled as his eyes rapidly flickered gold, "And it's not fair! Why the frak should I be nice to him or any of these frakking pigs?" Herelaah's eyes widened and he floated over to the boy.
"Foolish boy, how dare you refer to us as Pigs! One more remark like that, and…" There was a loud gasp and then everything was dead silent. All ten of the prophets looked like they just saw a ghost. General Takeo's face was turning red with anger. Prophet Herelaah's eyes were the size of dinner plates.
"Ty! Mama says no spitting." Jaxon said.
"Hah…" Herelaah slowly felt the bridge of his nose and began to gag, "V…vile rat." The Prophet nearly fell out of his chair, "G…General!" Herelaah screamed, "Kill this vermin!"
"What?" Tyrannous screamed.
"No!" Zeus and Hera both screamed.
"Yes, my lord." Takeo bowed.
"Rise and kill it!" Herelaah was about ready to throw up. Takeo quickly ran over to the boy and held up his hand.
"Do you want it slow or…"
"Kill it!" Herelaah screamed. Tyrannous's heart sank and he tried to scoot away, but his chains held him down.
"No wait, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Tyrannous screamed.
"Prepare to die, rat." Takeo prepared to fire a red energy crystal right into the boy's head.
"Holy Prophet Herelaah, wait! Please!" Zeus screamed, "Have mercy!" Zeus screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Takeo." Herelaah held up his hand.
"Huh?" Takeo looked at the Prophet and lowered his hand.
"Holy Prophet Herelaah, please, my son does not know any better. He is just a child, please." Zeus was on the verge of tears.
"What kind of barbaric manners have you taught this…this…this filth?" Herelaah snarled.
"Please, I am sorry. I thought I taught him better than this, but…"
"But you were wrong!" Herelaah hissed.
"Please, punish me, not the boy." Zeus begged. Herelaah glanced back and forth between Zeus and Tyrannous. He glanced at the other ten prophets who were giving him mixed looks. He glanced at General Takeo who looked like he really wanted to kill the boy. "Please, punish me, kill me, not…"
"Dad!"
"Tyrannous shut up!" Zeus roared; Tyrannous visibly jumped and looked at the ground.
"…The Book of Kamell has brought me great joy, rat." Herelaah stared at his Book, "I am in a good mood, and I have decided to spare your lives."
"Gods bless you, oh thank you, thank you, thank you." Zeus whispered.
"General, punish the father, and be warned rat, this better not happen again." Herelaah snarled, "Or else I shall torture you all until you beg, and then I will kill you." Herelaah slowly floated back up to his balcony with Jaxon.
"Holy Prophet, surely you're not forgiving the Rat Child." Takeo said, "If it had been any other prisoner he would have been dead by now. What makes this child any different?"
"Are you challenging the words of Prophet Herelaah?" The Prophet Growled.
"N…no sir." Takeo bowed, "The Father shall be punished."
"Good." Herelaah slowly floated through the door.
"Mama!" Jaxon screamed.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Hera screamed, but Herelaah didn't answer. He simply left the room with his Book and its' Keeper. "Come back with my son!" Hera screamed.
"Silence rat." Takeo undid the chains holding Zeus to the floor and dragged him to the center of the room, "How you and your family were able to escape the genocide is beyond me. When we learned that you fled the planet with the book, the Prophet became very stressed, and when he is stressed, I am stressed. Hell, when he learned that the Book was no longer on the Planet, he blew the whole thing up." Takeo pressed a button on the floor and a control panel rose up out of the ground. Takeo pressed several buttons on the panel and two metal poles emerged from the floor. The General chained an arm to each pole and prepared to 'punish' the rat. Zeus was nether standing or kneeling, and his arms were being stretched to the point where it actually hurt, but he wasn't going to let anyone know that. They could try to break him, but the fact was that it was never going to happen. Takeo pressed another button and a small device emerged out of the ground. The General picked the device up and pressed a red button; a long beam of blue energy emerged from the device almost like it was a whip. Takeo held the energy whip over his head and prepared to punish the man.
"General, wait."
"…" Takeo frowned and lowered the whip. He slowly turned and gave the fakest smile anyone had ever seen, "Yes. Prophet. Rubrum?"
"Something is not right." Rubrum growled. Rubrum was a large red alien who had two slimy red tentacles for arms and his head looked like an Octopus. He had two large black eyes and a beard made out of at least fifteen long tentacles. He was also wearing a red and black robe.
"…Any suggestions?" Takeo asked with his fake smile; he wanted to make this rat cry…preferably sometime today.
"…Shave him!" Rubrum laughed; Takeo's face changed and he looked at Zeus.
"Guards! Shave this rat!" Takeo laughed. Several Guards ran up to the man and took out their knives. Another Guard cut the man's shirt and pants off.
"This seems a bit excessive, does it not?" Prophet Pugare asked.
"He spit on Prophet Herelaah!" Rubrum snarled.
"…Right." Pugare mumbled; he didn't have time for this. He was in the middle of trying to find the great Gore Gus Khan. After a few minutes, the Guards stepped away to reveal the once proud Zeus. The Guards took no care when they shaved the man, and as a result, his face and head were bloody. There were only a few bloody patches of hair left on his head. His beard was gone, along with some of his skin.
"You may proceed, General." Rubrum said.
"Thank you." Takeo bowed, "Boy!" Tyrannous jumped, "Your pathetic father is going be punished thanks to you. May this be a lesson to you; never disrespect a Prophet." With that, Takeo swung his energy whip down on Zeus's exposed back. The man grinded his teeth and blocked out the pain.
Tyrannous's jaw slowly dropped; Takeo was right! It was his fault that his father was being punished. If he had just kept his big mouth shut…and hadn't spit at Prophet Herelaah, this wouldn't be happening. One thought, however, kept repeating itself in the boy's head; 'I am going to be in sooooooo much trouble'. Tyrannous tried to get Takeo's attention to apologize, but he was shocked by his collar.
"Tyrannous, please stop talking." Hera said, "You're not helping the situation."
"Mom! They're hurting him!" Tyrannous said as a tear ran down his cheek, "They took Jaxon and they're probably hurting him too. He's just a little kid; he doesn't deserve to be hurt like that. None of this is right!"
"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it." Hera said.
"What?" Tyrannous yelled, "What do you mean there's nothing we can…"
"Please, Tyrannous, we will discuss this later." Hera turned her attention back to her husband. The man's back was covered in blood from the lashings. Takeo had now moved onto whipping the man's chest, and occasionally his face. No matter how much they whipped him, Zeus showed no reaction; he was a hard man to break.
"For the love of Kamell, that's enough General!" Pugare ordered, "I have much work to do."
"Are you suggesting we show this rat mercy?" Rubrum snarled.
"Mercy, no. Restraint, yes." Pugare said, "He will suffer when he is put to work. General Takeo, take our three rats to their new home."
"No!" Rubrum stood up, "Give him the mark, then he may go."
"While you may have some kind of burning hatred towards the Sortosian race, and you wish to see them suffer, I would rather get back to finding this Elephant!" Pugare snarled.
"…Two Prophets with conflicting orders." Takeo said, "In this situation I am required to consult with Prophet Herelaah."
"Incompetent fools." Rubrum mumbled as he sat down and floated down to the General, "If you will not give him the mark, then I would be more than happy to."
"I…I…"
"You will move, or else your place on the path will be forfeit!" Rubrum snarled.
"Forgive me." Takeo bowed and backed away.
"I take it that you will punish the boy, no?" Rubrum whispered as he pressed several buttons on the control panel.
"Frak you." Zeus grunted.
"You better teach that boy some manners, rat." A large branding iron emerged out of the floor. "I will spread the word of your son's disrespectful actions, and he will be broken. The only way to keep him alive is to teach him some respect." Rubrum slowly grabbed the branding iron with his tentacles, "Of course I don't expect much from a piece of trash like you. You have failed as a protector, you have failed as a father, and you have failed as fighter, which is why I give you this mark; the mark of shame. It is the mark of a failure." With that, Rubrum pressed the red hot metal onto Zeus's chest. The man's eyes shot wide open and he couldn't take it; he let out a scream that caused the entire room to burst into laughter and cheers. "And so, rat, you shall carry this mark with you to the grave." Rubrum threw the branding iron to the ground and floated over to Tyrannous, "Learn some respect, boy, or else you'll be next." Rubrum floated back up to the other hierarchs.
"Are we finished?" Pugare grunted.
"If you need to leave, then leave!" Prophet Album snarled. Album was a large alien covered in thick white fur from head to toe. He had white hands with rough skin, and five long sharp claws, "If there is nothing else on the agenda, then I call this emergency council meeting adjourned! Takeo, get these pieces of filth out of here."
"Yes, Holy One." Takeo freed Zeus and threw him to the ground, "Tell me rat, can your species cry?"
"G…go to hell." Zeus growled.
"Hmph." Takeo grabbed the man by his ankle and dragged him to the door, "What are you imbeciles standing around for?" Takeo snarled, getting the attention of several Royal Guards, "Grab the wench and the brat and lets go!"
"Yes sir!" The Guards grabbed Tyrannous and Hera and followed the General.
"Where are you taking us?" Zeus didn't know why he asked, but he was trying anything to block out the pain of this burn.
"…Why to the Dark Place of course." Takeo laughed.
Prophet Herelaah's Inner Sanctum
Prophet Herelaah laughed like a mad man as he tossed Jaxon up and down in the air, "I did it! I finally did it!" Jaxon was screaming and crying, but that wasn't going to ruin the Prophet's moment, no sir, he was the happiest life form in the Universe. "Long Live The Vashmall! Long Live The Vashmall! Long Live The Vashmall!" Herelaah cheered. Herelaah looked over at his crystal ball and burst into laughter, "Monkeys, who needs them?" Herelaah blasted the ball into hundreds of pieces, "The hell with Son Gohan, the hell with Trunks Briefs, the hell with them all! Oh my frakking Gods." Herelaah let out a long sigh, "Over three hundred years. Three hundreds long years I've waited for this moment, and it's finally here. It is time to prepare you for the Book Opening Ceremony, young Book Keeper. Oh my Gods there is nothing that can stop the Great Journey now! Long Live the Vashmall! Long Live it, and Long Live the Great Kamell."
Prisoner Classification
"…Wh…where is my wife?" Zeus almost mumbled. He and his son had been taken to a room where they were unchained (but they still had their collars). There were several Guards in the room with their guns aimed at the two rats.
"Hn?" A Guard sitting at a desk slowly lowered his latest copy of the 'Vashmallian' Newspaper, "Prophet Pugare's genius idea to separate the male and female life forms during this stage. You will see her again later, now strip."
"…What?" Tyrannous asked.
"Your clothes, take them off." The Guard growled.
"…All of them?" Tyrannous asked.
"All of them!" The Guard pressed a button and Tyrannous was shocked by his collar. Zeus, still in partial shock from being whipped and branded, took off his boxers (which was all he had left). "Boy, don't make me shock you again."
"I…uhh…" Tyrannous was very modest, and there was no frakking way that he was going to get naked in front of all these people. There was absolutely no way in hell.
"I am going to tell you one more time." The Guard growled, "Take. Them. Off!"
"No." Tyrannous crossed his arms.
Smack! Zeus slapped his son across the face with the back of his hand. He hit the boy so hard that he fell off his feet and landed a few feet away. Tyrannous grabbed his now bleeding cheek and looked at his father with wide, and soon to be tear filled, eyes.
"Do as you are told." Zeus's voice was cold and emotionless, and it sent chills down the boy's spine. Tyrannous glanced around the room and took a deep breath. A minute later, the boy's face was bright red, his cheek was bleeding and swollen, and he was hiding behind his father.
"You, the necklace." The Guard said.
"…Necklace?" Zeus looked down and noticed that he was still wearing his military dog tag. "What about it?"
"Give it to me." The Guard growled.
"…" Zeus just stood there; was he really about to give up the only thing he had left?
"Now." The Guard held his finger over the button.
"…Take it." Zeus slowly removed the dog tag and set it on the table.
"Head through the door." The Guard grunted. Zeus slowly walked over to the door and waited as it automatically opened. Tyrannous kept close to his father as they entered the room.
"…Father, I'm…"
"Shut up." Zeus grunted. Just then, several ceiling sprinklers turned on and sprayed the two with ice-cold water. Tyrannous let out a loud yelp, but Zeus's only reaction was a subtle flinch. In addition to the frigid temperature, there was some kind of chemical in the water that stung like hell. After five continuous minutes of the freezing chemical water, it turned off and a door opened. Zeus, still emotionless, slowly left the room with his shivering son close behind him.
"Move faster, rats." A Guard held up a rather interesting looking gun. "Protocol requires all inmates to be completely shaved as to prevent the spread of parasites and organisms." The Guard said.
"But I've already…" Before Zeus could say another word, the gun was fired and a red aurora of energy surrounded the man. After ten seconds, the Guard released the trigger and any and all hair Zeus had left on his body was gone. Not even his eyebrows remained; he was completely bald.
"Next." The Guard shot Tyrannous before the boy had time to react. Tyrannous growled in pain, and after ten seconds, the boy was bald. Next, the two were sprayed with another chemical that burned their skin, especially their wounds. The door to the next room opened and they slowly moved on. The next room was absolutely freezing, and it didn't help that they were still wet. Zeus glanced at his son and frowned; the boy looked miserable. He was still limping due to the healing wound on his leg, he was rapidly shivering, his face was bright red with embarrassment, but Zeus knew that he was still going to have to punish the boy. If Tyrannous was going to survive in this Hell Hole, then he was going to have to learn some respect, and the only way that was going to happen was if Zeus beat it into him.
"Put these on." The two were handed grey 'Uniforms'. It was a rather thin and uncomfortable material, and it looked old. They were given a long sleeve shirt with a low cut neckline, boxers, some long pants with a built-in string belt, and a pair of moccasins with no socks. "The Prophet wants them in Prison Cells, not public containment, understood?"
"Yes sir. Hands above your heads." Zeus and Tyrannous put their hands behind their heads as several Guards escorted them out of the room. It was another long walk before they reached their Cell. "Here we are, Cell number 6-6-6." The Guards opened the door and threw the two rats inside.
"Where is my wife?" Zeus growled.
"She'll be here, rat." The Guard slammed the door shut, and everything was silent. It was absolutely dead silent. The room was pitch black, and the air was filled with a foul odor. It was freezing in the room, and the floor felt like it was made of concrete. Though they couldn't see them, the only things in the room were a very small round drain in the center of the room, and a small faucet attached to the wall for water.
"…Da…Father?" Tyrannous gulped.
"They were going to kill you." His father's voice was deep and cold, "You know that, right?"
"I…I'm so sorry." Tyrannous almost whispered.
"Tyrannous, in case you haven't noticed, we are in one hell of a bad situation. News of you spitting on Herelaah has probably spread through out the whole ship. These…"
"So what if they all know, that idiot deserved…"
"Shut up!" Zeus roared; Tyrannous covered his mouth, "For five frakking minutes can you just shut up and listen?"
"Y…yes sir." Tyrannous whispered.
"These people are not to be messed with. I was able to save you this time, but what happens when I'm not there to protect you?" Zeus said, "I can not risk having my son killed because he disrespected another prophet, or any of the other inhabitants of this ship! Come here Tyrannous." Tyrannous didn't move, "Boy, I said come!" Zeus growled. Tyrannous slowly scooted across the room until his father grabbed him by his arm and threw him over his knee. He yanked the boy's pants and boxers down and held up his hand. He was going to have to get his point across; otherwise his son would not survive this ship.
Prisoner Classification
"Ok, so you have my attention." Prophet Herelaah grunted.
"It's about damn time." Hera dropped her hostage and held up her hands. The Prophet glanced at the ten dead Guards lying on the floor. This wench managed to kill all of them without a weapon. "I want Jaxon." Hera growled.
"Jaxon? Jaxon, Jaxon, Jaxon…" Herelaah rubbed his chin, "Ah yes, the Book Keeper."
"His name is Jaxon." Hera growled.
"The Book Keeper is busy." Herelaah said.
"Hear my words, Prophet!" Hera spat, "If you ever cut my son again, if you lay so much as a finger on him, I will hunt you down like the animal you are and kill you."
"Anything else?" Herelaah grunted.
"If you want my family's cooperation, then you will give Jaxon back to us." Hera growled.
"Watch it wench." Takeo snarled, "No one orders the Prophet."
"Why should I listen to you?" Herelaah laughed, "I could kill your family and have you out of my hair for good."
"You need us for something." Hera said, "Otherwise you would have killed my husband in the Council Chamber. What ever sick plans you have involve us, and I think you want our cooperation."
"…I will grant your son a fair amount of time once a day to stay in your cell." Herelaah said.
"Once a…"
"Once a day." Herelaah growled, "Take it or leave it."
"Fine." Hera said.
"Holy Prophet…"
"Silence Takeo." Herelaah held up his hand. Takeo took a step back and crossed his arms, "But in return, I want you to tell the boy to keep quiet, only speak when spoken to, and to quit resisting." Jaxon had proven to be a bigger handful than Prophet Herelaah first anticipated.
"Agreed." Hera said, "Akakakaka." She grabbed her collar and fell to the ground.
"But it is unfortunate that every time he is in the cell, you will be out working." Herelaah laughed, "Send the wench to the Incinerator, and pass the message on to the other two rats. I want this child cooperating as soon as possible."
"Yes, my lord." Takeo saluted.
Cell Number 6-6-6
The father and son were seated on opposite sides of the room. Zeus was thinking about how they were going to get off of this ship, and he was blocking out the pain from his lashings and burn. Tyrannous was trying to keep his father from knowing that he was crying. First was the spanking, which his dad didn't hold back on slapping him. Next came a five minute long scolding. Just when it looked like it was over, Tyrannous made some smart-ass remark under his breath, and before he knew it he was back over his father's knee. Then came another scolding, but this time his father slapped him across the face several times. To end the punishment, Zeus grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and held him so close that their noses were touching. He told the boy that if he disrespects anyone on this ship, the punishment would be far worse than this. And so now the two weren't talking to each other.
For two weeks his father had hardly spoken to him. The only time he did talk to him was to yell at him or tell him to shut up. Now his father just beat him, and the freezing temperatures only made it worse. He felt like crying, but his father would just ridicule him. When was the last time his father actually said anything nice to him? He never heard his father tell him that he was proud of him, his father rarely hugged him, and his father hadn't told him he loved him since…since…Tyrannous's eyes widened; since before they found the Book of Kamell, and even then his father rarely said it, that is if he even said it at all. Tyrannous was having a very hard time remembering the last time his father said those three words; I Love You. Just then, the cell door swung open and the room filled with a blinding bright light.
"The Prophet is on a tight schedule, rats!" General Takeo snarled, "Here is how this will work. You will spend time with your youngest son once a day, and in return, you shall tell him to cooperate. He is only to speak when spoken to, and to do as he is told. I shall return at a later time." Takeo slammed the door shut and everything was quiet again.
"…M…mama?"
"Jaxon!" Zeus jumped to his feet and slowly followed the sound of his son's sniffling. He finally managed to find the boy and grabbed his arm. Zeus felt Jaxon literally climb up his body. The boy tightly wrapped his arms around his father, buried his face into the man's chest, and began to cry. "Sssh, it's ok." Zeus wrapped his arms around the boy, "Did they hurt you?" Jaxon just continued to cry; the boy started shivering. "It's ok Jaxon, no one's going to hurt you now." Zeus whispered, "Can you tell me what happened?"
"They…they…they p…poked me, and they were really scary, and they wanted me to wear a dress, and they were yelling at me, and Kamell was yelling at me, and Morgana said some words I'm not supposed to say, and…and…and…"
"Sssh." Zeus stopped the boy before he hyperventilated.
"I…I…I'm c…c…cold." Jaxon's teeth started chattering. Zeus rubbed the boy's back in an effort to warm him up. Jaxon was wearing the same clothes he wore when he was captured, and he still had his hair. "Where's mama?"
"She's not here right now." Zeus said. He was actually starting to get worried about his wife's whereabouts.
"What about b…b…big b…brother?" Jaxon shivered.
"…He's here." Zeus said. The man thought for a moment and then slowly walked over to the corner of the room. He sat down against the wall and let out a long sigh.
"…Hey J…Jaxon." Tyrannous mumbled.
"Hi Tywannous." Jaxon sounded a lot happier.
"Remember what I said." Tyrannous grunted, "Until you c…c…can say it right, c…call me T…Ty."
"Oh, ok." Jaxon chirped; Tyrannous felt someone's hand on his shoulder.
"You're shivering." Zeus said.
"I'm fine." Tyrannous wiped his eyes; he was still mad at his father, and his father was probably still mad at him, but he had absolutely no idea why the man was sitting anywhere near him.
"Nonsense, you're going to get sick, and you remember what happened last time." Zeus wrapped his arm around the boy. Tyrannous visibly jumped, and at first he thought his father was going to hit him again, but no, he was actually hugging him. Zeus pulled the boy closer and rubbed his shoulder, "How's your leg?"
"…Doesn't hurt." Tyrannous shrugged his shoulder; that was a lie.
"Good." Zeus said; there was a very long silence.
"…Hey dad?" Tyrannous whispered.
"Yes son?"
"…I'm really sorry I spit on Herelaah." Tyrannous whispered, "And…and I'm really sorry that I…uh…that I didn't…listen to you."
"I know you are." Zeus said.
"Are…are you still mad at me?" Tyrannous sniffed.
"…N…"
"C…cause I really am sorry, and…and I…"
"Sssh, I'm not mad at you son." Zeus said, "Try to get some rest. I'm going to stay up for a while." Tyrannous curled up against his father and wiped his eyes.
"…Night Jaxon." Tyrannous whispered, "Goodnight father."
"Night." Jaxon yawned.
"Sleep well, my sons." Zeus whispered. With that, Jaxon fell asleep, and Tyrannous soon after. Zeus stayed awake the entire night, keeping a protective arm wrapped around each boy. He thought about what General Takeo had said when he dropped Jaxon off. He would have to talk to the boy about cooperating with the Vashmallians; that is until he could figure out his escape plan.
Herelaah's Inner Sanctum
"…I am missing something." Herelaah stared at his broken crystal ball, "I have the rats, I have the Book Keeper, I have the Book of Kamell…I even have the Key!" Herelaah held up the Key of Kamell, "But if the Great Journey is set to start in a week's time, then why did it only show me Planet Earth? Why did it show me the Saiyans? Son Goku, Son Gohan, Prince Vegeta, Trunks Briefs, Namekian Piccolo, Son Goten, Guardian Dende, the Android Model 18; what was the point of showing me such a vast amount of 'now useless' information? D…did I miss something? Was something unaccounted for? Is it possible that the four rats somehow…no! Don't be a fool Prophet Herelaah, escape from De Civitate Dei is impossible." Herelaah let out a long sigh; he had a gut feeling that his quest for the Great Journey wasn't over, not by a long shot. The Prophet quickly erased the thoughts from his head and grabbed his bell, "Servant, I am ready for the second course."
"Right away, holy one." The Servant bowed. Herelaah was enjoying his daily massage/dinner. He finally had the Book of Kamell, and the rats were going to know pain and suffering beyond their darkest nightmares; what could possibly go wrong?
OK, I'M REALLY SORRY, BUT I HAVE TO STOP HERE. I'LL POST 'The Dark Place Part Two' SOON. PLEASE REVIEW!
SONG: "Let The Great Journey Begin" By Prophet Arcus of the Vashmallian Armada.