BOOK I
"There's Always A Way, Until You Give Up"
Tale Six ---Fall For It---
Rating: T
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"Did Furiiza-sama kill my mother?" the Saiyajin Prince asked.
"I'm not allowed to talk about it, Vejiita-Ouji," Nappa replied. The Saiyajin child enclosed his small but powerful fingers around the other Saiyajin's collar. "By whose order?"
"The Lord King's."
Young Vejiita let go of Nappa's collar. "Then I'm ordering you to talk about it anyway," Vejiita said indignantly.
"No can't do," Nappa responded weakly. "I can only tell you that Furiiza probably has a hidden agenda about it."
"What's a hidden agenda?" Vejiita asked, crossing his arms in frustration over not getting many answers, only more questions.
"I don't know," said Nappa.
"What do you think Furiiza-sama is up to?" Vejiita wondered.
"I don't know," said Nappa again.
"Do you ever think for yourself, you moron?" Vejiita snapped.
"I just do as I am told."
They sat in silence for a very long time.
Although Vejiita was too young, and Nappa too foolish to understand, both of them knew something was brewing.
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Gular fell, and landed in front of boots that undoubtedly belonged to an Ilrindûmé soldier. He looked up, meeting with the soldier fitting in to those lace-up boots. The soldier was big, and rather nasty looking with relatively grotesque features. His nose was long and crooked and his ebon eyes were hidden deeply in the sockets. His face looked like it had been eaten away by years of severe ulcerating. Gular swallowed, and looked beyond the man's face, to see who were the ones that surrounded him at this very moment. He knew these were the soldiers his sister had noted earlier.
"What do we have here?" the warrior to the far right said scornfully. His grey hair fluttered on the wind and looked substantially sleeker than Gular had ever seen on any male before. His grey mane indicated an old age but his face contradicted such assumption. His armour glimmered boldly in reflection to the morning-star that shone behind him in the sapphire sky. He wore a black armada cloak and considering the medals and decorations he wore, Gular believed he was their leader.
"Don't know; he doesn't look like a Healer. But he sure isn't one of us, Ou-sama." One of the soldiers replied, his voice cracking and hoarse.
"Can I kill him anyway?" the soldier that stood nearest to Gular commented, his fat cheeks pulling into a smirk.
"No, you oblivious twat. I have other intentions for this young insurgent."
Opposing the leader's wishes, the overweight soldier protested aloud. "But Darken…"
His grey haired superior pulled his lips into a snarl, evidently trying to keep his composure. "Never again call me by my name again if you wish to see the length of daylight. I shall kill you myself if you make one last gaffe."
The soldier nodded and stood to attention for just an instant before turning to the shorter fighter next to him, mumbling something in the likes of 'what's a gaffe?'
But Darken… Darken?
Gular had heard of this name. Apparently the Overlord of Ilrindûmé liked to name himself after the conspirator that had caused the downfall of all Dragons. Gular was certain said conspirator had been killed during the final amends ending the Great War. This couldn't be that very same person, could it?
"Get up, and tell me who you are."
Gular looked at the man who was supposedly called Darken and scrambled to his feet.
"It doesn't matter who I am. You're trespassing and I want you to leave. Now." His red eyes revealed no sense of hesitation or fear and he folded his arms with great confidence.
"What assertion for a Healer. Ain't he the confident one, Ambroze?" a short though burly soldier said.
"He sure is!" the overweight, ulcerating soldier replied, and laughed.
Young Gular had difficulty keeping his cool. The boy was growing increasingly annoyed by the soldiers' attitudes. He knew they were stronger than ordinary Ilrindûmé soldiers but he could feel how the dragon inside of him roared in presence of this foursome. "You have no idea," he said sardonically.
Ambroze turned to him, his dark eyes filled with confusion and restricted anger. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The red haired boy narrowed his eyes though refused saying a word, agitating the soldiers even more.
"Let me crush this brat, Overlord." Ambroze sneered, "I promise you, I will squash him in the palm of my hand."
"Ambroze," the Overlord began, waiting for the grotesque soldier to look at him, "I will only say this once… let the boy finish his drivel for it might still be interesting what he has to say."
Ambroze didn't understand what his leader was getting at. Commonly, they destroyed dissenters the moment they laid eyes upon them, no questions asked. He wondered why this time things would be different, he wondered why Darken refused to let him kill the little monster, he wondered why Darken was angry with him.
Darken turned towards the boy, much to Ambroze's displeasure, and spoke. "My apologies for the rude initial encounter." He bowed before the boy, waving his cloak along with him gracefully. "Darken is the name, Overlord of Chikura-sei, Leader of Ilrindûmé, rightful inhabitants of this wartorn land." Gular kept his glare, though felt confused inside. Their leader didn't sound half as hostile as his combatants. "And to ensure we make a correct acquaintance, who might you be?"
Perhaps it was a combination of revelation, anger and curiosity, none would ever know why Gular told this sinister man who he actually was. "I am Gular—"
The name resounded in Darken's head for at least a dozen times. His eyes grew with shock. He had assumed it, yes. But he would never have thought the boy would still be alive after years and years of Ryuuguu holocaust, hunting down every last one of the Chikurajin that had even the slightest bond with the royal family. And here he was, face to face with the rightful heir to the throne, none other.
"Descendant of Fuhen no Ryuu, Eternal Guardians and Gods of Dragons. I am Gular, Prince of Chikurajin, King of Mortals Amongst Dragons, those that have lived here for centuries, those you chose to hunt down and kill."
"Hold on now," Darken protested, interrupting the boy, "This is all a misunderstanding, my dear friend."
The three soldiers Darken had under his wing looked at least as confused as Gular himself did. "What do you mean?" the boy wondered.
Darken knew he was in a rather complicated predicament. He had been personally responsible for the downfall of the entire royal epoch. He had wiped out the Ryuujin ancestry, allegedly including the princely children of Ryuuguu: young Gular and Uyra.
The Overlord doubted the boy knew he was the culprit of the king's assassination. He had no intention of telling him, either.
Then again, what if the boy did know? Could he be easily manipulated, or wasn't he as foolhardy as King Vaerr had been? Something moved in his brain and he smirked underneath his stony face.
"Fourteen years ago, Black Death had come to its dreadful head. I, as leader of the king's Royal Guard, was thought to be challenging the imperialistic views of the king. However, there is not a word of truth in it. I for one supported the king's decisions. A small group within the Royal Guard held different scrutiny upon the matter. They plotted against the king, and no matter how hard I tried to stop them, rebellion was fact." Darken looked at the boy, and guessing from his reaction, there wasn't a doubt in his mind this youth was Gular, Child of Ryuuguu, son of that fool Vaerr.
"The rebellion was a success…" Darken continued, noticing he would have to stay in-character if he wanted to pull off the scheme of not being a conspirator. "And unfortunate truth was, the King and Queen had not survived the onslaught, no matter how hard I fought to defend them. The rebellion itself had its weaknesses and they were searching for a leader strong enough to keep them together. A leader such as myself."
Gular frowned. "But I thought you just said you FOUGHT the rebellion?"
Darken wetted his lips, pretending to be unnerved by Gular's powerful stare. "I did, vigorously even. But the imperial calm had to be restored. Therefore, I hadn't much of a choice. My goal is now, to restore Chikura-sei to its once so proud setting." He smirked dimly and turned towards his soldiers. "And how can we achieve this objective?"
"By silencing up those ignorant and rebellious Sanûmé!" the three replied in chorus.
"You… no!" Gular disputed in anger, "You kill the innocent and ravish villages, plundering everything within sight. I know who you are! Burresba…"
"Burresba was a traitor," Darken told him, deadpan.
His eyes grew with astonishment and Gular stared for a moment. "How…? How do you know?" he stammered. "Why?"
Darken nodded once, closing his eyes briefly. "I will tell you why, Gular-Ouji," he said. Then, the Overlord began to explain.
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The night was young. King Vejiita and some of his royal advisors had left for a meeting with none other than Furiiza. Nappa and several Royal Guards patrolled the Saiyajin stronghold to keep the royal children safe. Nappa knew that although Vejiita was young, he was strong enough to defend himself. The problem with Prince Vejiita however, was that he chronically overrated himself. Prince Vejiita would never pull back. If there would be anyone foolish enough to want to harm the Lord King's offspring, they would have to go through the Royal Guard and Nappa. No Saiyajin would ever so much as consider such a thing, but Nappa wasn't too sure about Furiiza and his men. Of the things Yam had told him, Nappa recalled the look in Furiiza's eyes best. Yam had described them with such passion that Nappa was convinced Furiiza did in fact hate the Saiyajin to his core.
But why would anyone hate the Saiyajin?
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"So, if I get this right…" Gular pondered, "Burresba wanted to have us killed?"
"Exactly. And know that he almost succeeded…"
Gular shook his head; he couldn't believe it.
Darken was cleanly manipulating Gular. Gular himself didn't notice, his inquisitive nature overtaking his cautious mind. Curiosity killed the cat, didn't it always?
It was as if all the horrible things this Darken had put him and his family through had been forgotten as if they had never happened. Perhaps this was due to Gular himself, as he had always pushed away the horrors he had seen as a young child. And he had been only a child, after all. All the faces looked the same, all the memories intertwined and Gular was unable to filter truth from fiction anymore. Then, as if the voice came out of nowhere, Darken's words blazed through his mind.
"Say, are you still listening?"
Gular looked at him, nodding.
Darken smirked. "What do you make of this: you and I, rebuilding these barren lands into the glorious realm it used to be. You as my right-hand, and heir to the Chikura-jin throne will finally redeem the promise you made your father, will you not? Once the people are ready for it, the monarchy can finally be restored."
Ambroze rubbed his chin and frowned, contemplating his leader's words.
"But Overlord," he protested, "I thought I was your right-hand."
Darken sighed and placed a hand on his brow, right between his eyes.
"You are my left-hand, nincompoop."
Darken's dark eyes riveted on the young Prince again. "And once more bringing our people to the top, were they are supposed to be. Rebuilding our world, leading the Circle of Spirits as was long ago predicted. We will reclaim our place in the Surreal, young prince."
Gular blinked.
As part of their group I can finally become a true warrior. I will be able to walk the path my parents intended for me, and rebuild father's realm as he had asked me to.
Prince Gular genuinely liked the idea, figuring even if these soldiers were his enemy a common goal could unite them. He answered Darken's question with honesty, ignoring the words of doubt that were screamed in the back of his head.
"On one condition..."
He looked at Darken, who nodded briefly, in response. "…That I can wear an outfit that's only half as silly as the ones you guys are wearing!"
The soldiers looked confused and made a face and fell to the ground, feet up.
Embarrassed, Darken rubbed his eyebrow and turned red, he moved his hand to the back of his head before he replied. "Um, sure kid, you are the prince."
Again, something moved in Darken's brain, wanting to stab the young prince more than anything. It subsided again when Darken realized he had a great use for this foolish boy.
Gular followed the warriors and their leader back to base camp, in a western direction. The boy was so eager he completely forgot about his sibling.
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"I wonder how Gular is doing," Uyra said to herself as she was making his bed.
The cavern looked emptier than usual and to Uyra it seemed as if Gular had been away for ages. She frowned, and straightened. How long had he been out anyway? She went outside and looked at the sun, which had already passed the three mountain ridges in the distance. He had been away for at least three hours and she hadn't even noticed!
Still she thought best not to contact him so tried to put her mind at ease. Gular was a clever boy who would never do anything rash. He had probably strayed off or had met a cute girl from the village. Perhaps even, he went to get some herbs for her at a local market or in the woods, something he often did when on patrol. There wasn't anything for her to really worry about.
She set aside her worries and decided to practice some defensive kata. She sat down in the dense grass and took off her sandals, focusing on her breathing for a while. She stood, and brushed the dew off her dress. The pale haired girl smiled to herself. She parted her feet somewhat, lifting one leg aside her body to work on her balance. While doing so she stretched her arms alongside her head, moving them down slowly. She stood like that for quite a while before starting her meditative routine of defensive martial arts. She pushed her hands forward, one at a time, guiding them over her head, and back, and finally to her sides. Her movements were slow and elegant and became quicker and harder to follow as time passed. She moved her arms in a bird-like way, ever so slowly. She threw a foot forward and kicked, followed by several punches. Flowing out of that kick she made a graceful backflip before sliding down into a split, wielding two flat hands forward in a thrusting but otherwise very refined movement.
"Help us, please!"
Although she did not recognize the voice, she jumped up immediately, to see where the cry had come from. As she turned to see the source of the words, she noticed a young girl who looked very afraid, her hair as pale as her own.
"Who are you? What's wrong?"
The girl approached slowly and kneeled before Uyra. "Your highness," she spoke, "We are your loyal subjects. We ask you humbly for protection…"
Uyra grimaced. "Wait a minute," she protested. "Highness? We? Protection?" She frowned. "What are you talking about?"
The girl looked up to Uyra confusedly. "I… I don't understand…"
Uyra crouched next to her. "Let's begin with the beginning; you were calling for help."
Her name was Cyane. She, her tot brother Fringe, and her grandmother Dyla were in hiding for the Overlord. All were Sanûmé by birth, all had pale hair and the brightest eyes Uyra had ever seen. Cyane and Dyla were priestesses; though this wasn't the main reason the Overlord pursued them. The Overlord pursued them for the simple reason they were one of the last pure-blooded Healers in the area.
Overlord Darken was a malignant army commander who had worked himself up to lord and master of Chikura-sei by means of a revolution, overthrowing the leadership of a good Kingship.
To Darken this was by far unsatisfactory. By his bidding, thousands and thousands of Sanûmé Chikurajin were driven from their houses, murdered, raped and executed.
According to Cyane these plans grew even further in the shape of an elaborate plot to collect foreign genetic material of alien species. Species beyond their imagination, and abducting females from other planets that would be able to bear and foster genetically enhanced infants in a way Darken would want them to, simply to enforce the Ilrindûmé bloodline.
Cyane had spoken for at least four hours and Uyra wondered where Gular was hanging out. What alarmed her was the fact Gular did not respond to telepathy and she couldn't locate him. Where was he, what had happened, why couldn't she reach him!
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Author's Note: Oh no! Why is Gular falling for Darken's trap? Or isn't he...? Or are the Healers up to no good?
Hm, and what's this genetic material thing? Is it edible? Find out in the next episode: Vejiitasei.
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