Things Heat Up

Vegeta: "Where the hell are we supposed to find 'Ogre Liver', 'Lips of Ice', 'Eyeball of Fire', and 'Black Demon Horn'!"

Issun: "Beats me, Geta. But the quicker we find 'em then the quicker we can save Kushi!"

Vegeta: "And lose my lunch..."

The tunnel behind the door led to a cavern similar to what was outside. A railing was along the edge of the path they were on, and down below was that same weird water that was in Tsuta Ruins. Vegeta was still not eager to see what that water would do to him. They came to the end of the path and saw that there was no way of getting to the other side of a long chasm. But then Vegeta spotted some Konohana Blossoms floating above the chasm. The saiyan drew a line from the closest Konohana Blossom to him and in no time he was standing on the flower. From the flower, however, he could clearly see a new problem. The next set of Konohana Blossoms were upside down and there was nothing under them. But all of the upside down Konohana Blossoms were close to each other. So, Vegeta took a deep breath before he drew a vine from the next blossom. The second he reached the blossom and began to fall, he drew a vine from the one on his far right. His plan worked and he landed safely on the ledge that this Konohana Blossom was floating over.

Vegeta: "Phew... That got my heart pounding again!"

From the ledge, Vegeta could see the next blossom. It was a fair distance away, farther then he's ever tried before.

Vegeta: "This is going to be a stretch."

Issun: "I know my saying says 'Leap before you think' but in this case ya might want to do the opposite."

Vegeta: "No kidding."

The saiyan took another deep breath and called up the scroll. Amazingly, he was able to reach the flower! Before he could fall, he drew a vine from the last flower and finally reached other side of the chasm. After getting his heart rate back under control, Vegeta went to the door in front of them... But it was locked. Next to it was a small statue with an eye that moved.

Vegeta: "Creepy."

Issun: "Could ya do somethin' about that! Its givin' me the creeps!"

Vegeta used the Power Slash technique on the eyeball. To their surprise, the eye closed and the door opened! Our hero's made metal notes to remember this as they were both sure that they'd come across more of these. With the door open, they went inside to discover another Devil Gate. Once in the Devil Gate, the battle began! The two Red Imps and one Bud Ogre were no match for the saiyan prince. As usual, a chest appeared after the battle was won. When Vegeta opened it, he found the Ogre Liver.

Vegeta: "The things I do for others... Ugh."

With one of the four secret ingredients, Vegeta turned around and started back. After crossing the chasm again, the saiyan was heading back for the door when he noticed a small pool that was now filled with water. It wasn't when they first passed it.

Issun: "It looks like you can use your Waterspout technique, Geta."

Vegeta: "Might as well."

Vegeta was getting to the point where he really wasn't questioning anything anymore. This entire journey so far had shown him that more often then not, the unexpected should be expected. So he ran over to the pool and drew a line from the pool on up. A geyser rose up and the saiyan hopped on for a ride. At the top was another path. The path took them to the second platform in the main room. To their left was a container with water in it. Again, Vegeta used the Waterspout technique to gain access to the third platform. They ran through the door that was immediately to the left of them. When they past the door, they found themselves facing a weak looking bridge. Next to the bridge there was a sign that said: 'Breaks easily, so be careful!'.

Issun: "Careful now, Geta... Better tread lightly."

Vegeta: "Easy for you to say."

Vegeta walked across the bridge as 'lightly' as a man of his weight could. Fortunately, he made it across with no problems. It was obvious that there was a door in front of them, but a giant block of ice was in their way. Vegeta tried to cut it with the Power Slash technique, but it was no use.

Issun: "We'll have to find another way around this."

And so, Vegeta turned around to head back across the bridge. However, halfway on the bridge, it started to crack!

Vegeta: "Not good..."

The bridge suddenly broke apart and Vegeta fell to the ground below! Fortunately, he landed on his feet.

Issun: "Nice goin', Geta."

Vegeta just snarled at the Poncle. The saiyan then noticed the Devil Gate that they had landed next to and wasted no time going inside. The two Red Imps and one Black Imp were again no match for the saiyan's power. This time, a pool next to a giant bamboo tipping well was restored. The saiyan prince remembered what the giant bamboo tipping well at Sasa Sanctuary did when he filled it so he did the same, but not before leaping to higher ground. Vegeta used the Waterspout technique from the newly restored pool to the bamboo. Once it was filled, it did its job by draining the water out and settling back down on a switch. That switch opened a drain high above and water came gushing in! The water was from the central room that the elevator was over. In a matter of seconds, the chasm was filled with water and the open drain provided a tunnel to get out. Using a geyser just under the tunnel, Vegeta climbed up the drain. When he left it, he was immediately confronted by a Black Imp. The saiyan took care of it quickly and inspected the room. On the far side was another one of those eyeball statues. Vegeta Power Slashed it right away and the door on the ground in front of them opened. But there was no way Vegeta was jumping through it. More of that evil water was down there.

Vegeta: "No way am I jumping down there."

Next to the door was yet another pool. Vegeta used Waterspout and was back on the main floor. The saiyan approached the Imp operating the elevator but the Imp refused to move the crank without the appetizer for Orochi. So the saiyan used his Power Slash technique on the Imp and he let go of the crank. Slowly the elevator started to descend, but the Imp grabbed hold of the crank and started to lift them up. So the saiyan used Power Slash yet again. He ended up having to do this at least 5 times before they reached the bottom of the shaft. Vegeta jumped off of the elevator and the Imp started to raise it up. In front of a corridor, an Imp stood guard who looked very pleased with himself for some reason.

Imp: "Hee hee hee hee! I guard the door here. Boy, I just love this job. It makes life worth living!"

Knowing the Imp couldn't see his face, Vegeta just looked at him with an unamused look.

Imp: "I recently added a special mechanism to the door. Now it's really hard to open! The sight of people trying with all their might to open the door makes me laugh my head off! Hee hee hee hee!"

Vegeta just walked off without either him or Issun saying a word. In fact they couldn't even think of anything to say! When they exited the corridor, they saw what the Imp was talking about. Not one but FOUR of those eyeball statues were standing in front of the door! Vegeta tried slashing them one by one but the door didn't open. Then he got an idea.

Vegeta: "What if I tried closing the eyes all at once."

Issun: "Give it a try!"

Vegeta called up the scroll again and positioned it so that all four of the statues were alined in a straight line. He then used a Power Slash and closed the eyes in one strike. It worked! The door opened! Our heros rushed inside the next room where a giant iced-over statue was standing in the center. Vegeta could barely see what was inside the ice. It looked like a bird.

Issun: "Hm? What's with this iced statue? No wonder it's so chilly in here. ... ..."

Just then, the air around them grew cold and evil.

Issun: "Geta, this is no ordinary chill. It's a kind of creepy feeling... I bet there are monsters nearby! Better be careful!"

Sure enough, a monster appeared! It was a ice-covered wheel with lips on it! It was called Ice Mouth. Vegeta tried to slash at it but the ice was too hard. However, the Ice Mouth kept moving in a circle so the saiyan drew a Cherry Bomb in its path. That worked! The Ice Mouth fell to the ground flat giving Vegeta time to slash at it again. This time he was able to get through the ice and it was defeated. With the Ice Mouth defeated, the ice around the statue melted and the phoenix statue burst into flames!

Issun: "This phoenix is only a statue, right? I mean, it looks like it might take off at any moment!"

Vegeta: "Yeah it does. ... ... Huh?"

Suddenly, a bright light shined down on the statue and the room fell dark. Only the statue and the heavenly light shined. Vegeta knew this light!

Vegeta: "It can't be? Here?"

A constellation appeared above them. It was in the shape of a phoenix. Three out of seven stars were missing. When Vegeta filled the missing stars in, the constellation came to life! A phoenix threw its pipe up and twirled down in a blaze before circling around, catching its pipe and finally stopping in front of Vegeta. It was Moegami, the god of fire.

Moegami: "Ah... Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all... Sealed away by the dark forces, I have spent years in this cave. Time passed, but I was unable to make my way to freedom. But now, your power has lifted the curse that plagued me. I, Moegami, god of flames, lend you my fiery power. Burn a new source of light into the obscuring darkness!"

Moegami left and Vegeta obtained the Inferno brush technique.

Issun: "Wow, never expected to find a brush god here!"

Vegeta: "Nor did I!"

Issun: "We got a powerful ally just when we needed it! Moegami is the most fearsome of all the brush gods! Its technique, known as Inferno, reduces almost anything to ashes!"

Vegeta could only nod with a smile. He wasn't going to argue with that since he knew full well at how fearsome fire can be!

Issun: "Hmm... Who should be our first victim?"

That was when Issun saw some ice blocking a door.

Issun: "I know, that ice over there! Listen up, Geta! Inferno is based on the power of fire. You gotta place your brush on a source of fire and draw a line. The power of fire will surge into the line, creating an inferno! But actions speak louder than words, so try it out on that ice! Place your brush on that flaming statue and draw a line to the ice!"

Vegeta didn't waste any time trying out his new brush power! He drew a line from the blazing statue to the ice block. In a matter of seconds, the ice melted!

Issun: "You did it, Geta! That's one hot technique! It'll probably only singe a few scales off that Orochi. But it'll make crispy critters outta the snake's underlings!"

Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle and he shivered with excitement! His spirit was as wild and untamed as fire itself at times! So he was going to have fun with this brush technique.

Vegeta: "Oh, I'm going to have fun with this technique!"

With a new brush god on his side, Vegeta ran through the door that the ice was blocking. The next room had another elevator in it and Vegeta hopped aboard.

Imp: "Whee! It's been so long since anyone stopped by! I was worried the crank was going to rust from lack of use. Well... Let's crank this thing on up! Whee!"

The Imp started to crank the handle and up they went. The prince just sat down and enjoyed the ride while he pondered how he was going to face Orochi. He had to be careful about what he did. Orochi was able to kill Amaterasu when she was at full strength and he was about to face him with only 9 brush techniques. This was going to be a fight that he had to think carefully about. But the prince was a prodigy when it came to tactical planning. If there was a way, he'd find it. Finally, the elevator ride came to an end and Vegeta jumped off and headed through the only door. The tunnel led him to a room with three giant ice blocks blocking the only way out and a Devil Gate. The prince decided to handle the Devil Gate first and went in. Inside, two Ice Mouths appeared but Vegeta now had the power of fire on his side. The battle ground had some lanterns around it so the saiyan drew a line from the fire to the monsters. The ice on them melted and they were defeated in a snap. When the battle was over, a chest appeared and Vegeta opened it. Inside, he found the second secret ingredient, Lips of Ice.

Vegeta: "Two down, two to go."

Issun: "We're on a roll!"

Now the saiyan turned to the ice blocks. Next to them was a torch and he used the Inferno technique to melt the ice. When the ice was gone, they discovered that they were back in the kitchen. Although they were in the kitchen and had two ingredients, our heros decided to go ahead and find the other two before returning to Ajimi. Vegeta left the kitchen headed back over to the first door. Next to it were some planters and one of them had a flower in it that seemed useful. Figuring it was there for a reason, Vegeta hopped on it and the flower sent him hurling up and onto the second balcony. Before he landed, Vegeta used the Waterspout technique to create a geyser from the pool. He landed right on the geyser just as it reached the third balcony. He hopped off and ran through the door again but stopped when they saw that the bridge was gone.

Issun: "Whoops... Who was it that broke this bridge again? Well, Geta, you are actually heavier than you look... That power of yours could easily handle a broken bridge. But why don't ya think about goin' on a diet first?"

Vegeta: (Under his breath) "Only if you stop calling me 'Geta'."

Issun: "What?"

Vegeta: "Nothing! Nothing."

Vegeta knew what power Issun was talking about. He hadn't used this one in a while. The prince filled in the missing part of the bridge using the Rejuvenation technique and it was restored. Now Vegeta was able to run across it and deal with that ice blocking his way. Once the ice was gone, our heros went inside and found another Devil Gate waiting in the center of the room. Going through the gate, Vegeta began a battle with a new monster. It was similar to the Ice Mouth but it was covered in flames and had a eyeball in the center. It was a Fire Eye. Not only did he have to face a Fire Eye, but then an Ice Mouth appeared as well. Vegeta used the fire from the Fire Eye to deal with the Ice Mouth, before he turned to the Fire Eye. He did the same thing as he did when he first encountered an Ice Mouth and used the Cherry Bomb technique to stop it dead in its tracks. With the Devil Gate gone, another chest appeared and inside was the third secret ingredient, Eyeball of Fire. Clear on the other side of the room, more ice blocked a door. Vegeta melted the ice and went inside the room to get an Exorcising Arrow. Since there was no other door around, Vegeta headed back. But as he was about to cross the bridge again, a loud roar echoed all around.

Issun: "That was Orochi, no doubt... Sounds like he's hungry or something! Oh, no! Maybe he couldn't wait for his appetizer! He hasn't eaten poor Kushi first, has he!"

It was time to hustle! They only had one more ingredient to find. Vegeta hurried across the bridge and ran out on the balcony. He saw a door with a lock on it so he rushed over to it. The Exorcising Arrow unlocked the door and the saiyan went through. He found himself in a strange place this time.

Vegeta: "What the hell?"

The area was covered in sand. A sign said 'Skull Dunes'.

Issun: "Tell me this sand isn't really bone dust!"

Vegeta: "I think this is one of those times where not knowing is much better!"

Issun: "Agreed!"

A little further in the room, there was a stone ball sitting around. Guessing that the ball was important somehow, Vegeta started to roll it down a railed path. But the saiyan stopped when they came across what looked like a long gap. Next to it was yet another eyeball statue and the prince slashed it. When it closed, a sand waterfall appeared and a strong gust of wind blew the sand over the gap.

Issun: "Huh? I thought I saw a path for a second when the wind blew by."

Vegeta was also sure that he had seen a path. He used Galestorm to blow the sand over the gap and it revealed a path all right. So the saiyan continued to push the ball forward, only stopping to use Galestorm again when the path vanished. Finally, they arrived at the end of the path and rolled the ball onto a switch. The switch turned on some fire spheres throughout the Moon Cave. With another source of fire all around, Vegeta left the strange room and found himself on the second to last balcony. Above there was a Konohana Blossom hovering above the last balcony. Using the Vine technique, the saiyan reached the last balcony. Now he faced crossing a massive gap to reach what looked like a cannon on the other side. Fortunately, there were two scrolls flapping next to the gap so Vegeta used Galestorm to blow them up to him. Very quickly he hopped across and reached the cannon which was slowly spinning around. It was obvious that they had to light the cannon and so Vegeta did. He didn't know what it was going to do, but when the cannon fired, it blasted a hole on the other side of the room where the balcony stopped!

Vegeta: "Works for me!"

The cannon was no longer useable so Vegeta felt it. He jumped back over the scrolls and ran along the balcony until he reached the new hole.