An Unburdened Fury

Chapter 54: At The Gates

Years Before...

Bardock whittled away at the tree branch with his sharp stone. He hated that he had gotten good at this shit but, unless he wanted to interact with the dipshits back in the village, this was one of the only ways to pass the time. The low class Saiyan didn't know what to carve so he defaulted to what he normally did.

He had just gotten the vague outline of Gine's top half done when he heard footsteps. Bardock crushed the rock in annoyance; everyone knew not to fuck with him out here. He made sure of that. Only the king could get away with that. Prick.

He swiped his hand against his thigh to get the dust off. 'Fucking hell, now I need to make another one.' Was his thought as he hid the project by his seat. Nobody knew what he did and he'd keep it that way. He spotted the intruder quick enough and he sighed. It was Paragus. He almost forgot he invited the man out.

"Bardock."

"Paragus."

It was too cold to say what they had was a friendship. It was a camaraderie of sorts in their shared dislike of King Vegeta and their solitude but it would be a lie to say they were anything more than tolerant of one another. But the other man didn't fuck with him like the others and took him at his word. That put him several notches above the rest.

"Well, you brought me out here." The high ranking warrior ground out. There was annoyance there; he thought this meeting a waste of time. As if wasting time was possible down here. "What did you want to talk about?"

Bardock almost smirked as he dropped the bomb. "It's about your son."

Paragus's expression softened considerably as hope crept in. That was another thing that they had in common; a soft spot for their sons. Neither would ever admit to it though. Bardock, through his visions, was able to see both Kakarot and Raditz grow into amazingly capable warriors throughout his time in Hell. He'd never been more proud when he saw that they would both become Super Saiyans.

So when Paragus died and lamented his betrayal of his son for power and control, it seriously rubbed him the wrong way but the years passed. The Saiyans were a proud people, a boon and a bane given it also kept them stuck here, so it was rare to see one humbled. And Hell humbled Paragus. He knew about the man's search for their people's knowledge to help his son whenever he made his way here.

Now whether that was a good use of his time remained to be seen.

"Broly?" The man practically gasped out. Bardock nodded. "How do you know it's him?"

"He matches your description of him to a T." The Saiyan leaned back on his stone with his arms behind his head. "He also called himself Broly so there's that."

Paragus pointedly ignored his joke. "What happens? In your vision."

"Someone meets him when he arrives down here. They're covered in rags so I don't know who they were but they have a conversation." Bardock recounted as he closed his eyes to remember the details better. "Nothing else really happens and, no, I don't know what you two talked about."

The one-eyed Saiyan looked to the clouded sky with a distant looked. "My son..."

Bardock sat up. Sentiment was fine and dandy but it was clear based on Paragus's own words that his son will eat him alive if they ever saw each other again.

"What's your plan? Call me cynical but he'll probably still have a grudge against you."

"I know." He closed his eye and bowed his head as if the memory of his betrayal weighed him down. "I'll be disguised when I meet him. I don't expect forgiveness or even tolerance from him as I am now, I don't deserve it, but a chance to be the father he needed, even in such a small capacity, it..." A long sigh escaped him. "It'll be worth it."

Bardock scowled a moment. He could only indulge such softness for so long. "And if someone rats you out?"

"No one will know its me." The older man tilted his head at Bardock. "Except for you, of course. As far as King Vegeta and the rest of our people are concerned, I moved on today but I'll be back in...give it a few weeks."

"That's a risky long con you're pulling. We don't know how long it'll be before he's here after all."

"I'll wait until the last stars are naught but dust if I have to."

Present

Paragus dusted off his hands after he laid down his unconscious son. For how lanky he was, the boy was surprisingly dense and the transition through the time warp did not help. He turned to his fellow Saiyan and lowered his mouth covering. His son wouldn't be back up for a while so it was safe for now.

"So what do you mean by 'something like that'?"

Bardock looked back at the barrier of the warp. He saw nothing; whether that was good remained to be seen.

"Remember that static I told you about?"

Paragus nodded. It was hard to forgot such a cryptic message.

"I had a series of visions, one after the other, about an hour ago. It was in the last couple but, call it a hunch, they're all related." Following his gut was what saved him the entirety of his adult life as a Saiyan; it wouldn't fail him just because he was dead. Bardock held up two fingers. "Two of them have already come to pass with me saving your ass being third."

"And that's something that's never happened before, I take it?" Paragus swore when Bardock affirmed his question. "That means we don't have much time. How many did you have?"

"Five." The gruff Saiyan replied as he distanced himself from the edge of the warp. Being so close made him uneasy, like someone could just reach threw and pluck him out. "We'll have to make due with what little time we have in here." He blinked and he swore he saw it for just a moment. Bardock rubbed at his eyes. "I swear it feels like its looking at me right now."

Paragus glanced at his sleeping son with an uneasy look. "What happens next?"

"Uh," Bardock grabbed at his head. It ached just trying to remember what he saw. That hole in space was a vacuum that pulled at his soul whenever he bore witness to it. It took tremendous will to keep himself from falling in. "I saw all three of us, the Warden and some others I don't recognize. There were odd, multicolored shapes in the sky. All I could hear were...screams. Like you would hear while purging a planet."

Paragus brought his mask back up. As long as the Warden wasn't around, they had time. "Then we wake Broly and get him trained up as much as we can."

Bardock scoffed. "What's the point? We can't get any stronger down here."

"We can't."

The psychic was taken aback by the implication. "You can't be serious. How?"

"Hell keeps us from gaining new power; it doesn't stop us from pulling out everything we already have." The father of Broly pointed at the top of his head. "That golden form of Vegeta's and your sons, I don't believe it's the Super Saiyan of legend that we've all been taught; it simply doesn't fit with the stories. They haven't gone wild, they're not on the cusp of blowing themselves up, they're calm."

He then pointed at his sleeping son. "His, however, fits like a glove. It was wild and ferocious! Practically uncontrollable when he was a boy! If he ever transformed into a Golden Ape when he lived, nothing around would survive including him, I'm certain of it."

Badock nodded as he connected the dots. "Just like the legend of the last Super Saiyan." He muttered. He just assumed that the legends were exaggerated or that the last Super Saiyan was simply incapable of dealing with the power unlike Kakarrot, Raditz, and the royal brat.

"Exactly and I know why. His Legendary form is Oozaru manifesting within Super Saiyan. When he's an ape, his power is leagues ahead of the tenfold multiplier we're accustomed to." Paragus was practically shaking at this point. His son was so much more special than he ever thought possible and he threw it all away. What great wonders would he have been capable of with a proper father to help guide him? "And if he turns Golden..."

The psychic crossed his arms. "Let me guess: he'd be the strongest thing in the universe? Kill our potential problem dead, right? You're already getting cocky, Paragus." He jabbed a finger into the other man's chest. "You know better than that, he's dead down here with us after all."

"I-!" The older man clenched his fists as offense roared in his chest but he closed his eye and took in a deep breath through his nose. the stale, acrid stench of Hell filled his lungs for several moments before he let it out along with his anger. "No, no, you're right; I'm getting ahead of myself but he is our best hope."

Bardock eyed the unconscious boy.

"Yeah, that's what I don't like about all this."

"The fat slug saw right through me." Cooler said as he rejoined the Galaxy Soldiers. There was a collective series of swears at the news from the Herans.

"That's worrisome." Bujin muttered as he glanced at the elder's home. "Do they think they have any other abilities that could hurt our attempts? They can create wish granting orbs; it would not be a stretch to assume-"

"That doesn't matter." The Arcosian interrupted. "What matters is that other group does not so far but I would not put it past these lowly creatures to hamper our efforts."

Kogu palmed the end of his sword's hilt nervously. "How long do we think that'll last?"

"Pray it lasts long enough."

A nervous silence overtook the group as the earthlings trickled out of the hut. It didn't escape them that the other group was noticeably more stiff walking out. The tall one maintained his gaze at Cooler. Cooler maintained an even stare back. He would not let such a weakling intimidate him.

Nail pointed at the Galaxy Soldiers. "You three. In."

They looked at one another before they collectively shrugged and walked to Guru's home. Kogu noted the suspicious eyes from the earthlings and he mentally swore. There was no way they didn't suspect something. They were all overly friendly before they went in. Something he muttered to Zangya and Bujin once they were out of earshot of Cooler.

"Fuck, we're not going to avoid a bloodbath at this rate." Zangya muttered. "You two have any ideas?"

He shrugged. He wasn't an idea guy. None of them looked particularly remarkable. Maybe they could take them out with an ambush. They wouldn't be avoiding a bloodbath but if they're fast enough, maybe Genome wouldn't notice? Better than a protracted battle at any rate.

"I'm sure we can make it relatively quick for 'em..."

"Absolutely not!" She hissed back. "Killing them is out of the question."

That threw him for a loop. They've committed minor genocides when their pirating went poorly before; what gives? "What has you suddenly sprouting a conscious?"

"It's not that, it's-" She shook her head. "I'll explain later."

"We could ally with them."

The two glanced at Bujin who meekly shrunk under their gaze. The swordsman was instinctively against the idea but before he could voice any protests, they were ushered into the Grand Elder's home. Kogu whistled at the sight of the Namekian but Zangya quickly put an end to that with a swift jab in the gut with her elbow.

"You are Cooler's allies." The Namekian stated matter of factly. "Your ki is tainted like his."

The swordsman crossed his arms; he didn't like the comparison. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means your evil deeds have left their marks upon you all." Guru's head tilted to the side in concentration. "Yet I sense little loyalty for him. I ask, is his purpose yours?" At the quiet that followed, he added. "I have no desire to reveal treachery as it would bring his wrath down upon all our heads."

The three looked at each other apprehensively. Bujin's idea crossed all of their minds. There was no way they were going to help Cooler see his plans through whatever they were and there were enough wishes for both groups. The two Heran men looked to Zangya and she wanted to rip her hair out. Why put the onus on her?

If they chose to help Cooler, they were choosing bondage. If they chose to betray him, they might all be killed by the Arcosian tyrant or by Genome. And, no matter what, it was all on her head. She didn't choose this; she didn't want to make these decisions. She couldn't live with herself if things went horribly for them.

Still, they focused on her and waited for an answer. They trusted her judgement and she plainly saw that the choice in front of them wasn't a real one; not for them. She straightened out.

"No. No, it's not."

It felt like she witnessed the lock on the cage of an exceptionally dangerous animal weaken when she uttered those words. The already precarious balance of all their lives was made even more so and anything from this point forward would be her fault.

The Grand Elder seemed to sit a little taller at her words. He raised a hand and beckoned her forward. "Come here, child. Let me see if your intentions match your words."

Zangya took a step but a hand grabbed her wrist and held her back. She looked back, fully expecting it to be Kogu, but her words died on her tongue when she saw it was Bujin who kept her in place. He let her go but kept his eyes on hers.

"I just- I just wanted to let you know I trust your judgement."

The words were oddly comforting and she gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

Kogu rubbed at the back of his neck. "I don't think I need to say it but...ditto there." He scoffed and muttered. "Maybe we'll see Bido at the end of this."

Zangya rolled her eyes as she turned back to Guru. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

As she approached the Grand Elder, she found herself uncertain in front of the giant. Could they really do anything with the guillotine that was Cooler above their heads? So distracted by her doubt, she hardly noticed she was close enough for the elder Namekian to put his hand on top of her head. Her instinctive indignation at the contact was fierce, her hair was hard enough to take care of as it is, but it was swept away as nearly every moment of her life since leaving that star crossed her mind in an instant.

She was left disoriented and bewildered. Did this slug just-? How-? She had half a mind to run him through that instant.

'What the hell was that?!' She screamed out in her mind. 'I thought he was gonna look to see if I was lying, not all of my memories!' There were quite a few private moments in there and she wasn't ready for something like this! Zangya scrunched her eyes further shut than they already were and let the anger out in a breath. Their objective was more important, she couldn't forget that.

'Your purpose is as you said.' Guru's voice rumbled in response.

'I didn't think any of us could get away with lying- wait.' Zangya blinked and then tilted her head up in shock. Telepathy? She should've expected that. Even in their brief foray on this planet, it was clear the people here were deep in the mystical. She huffed. 'A heads up would have been nice.'

'I apologize but my people are at stake; I do what I must.'

'Look, I get the paranoia, but all I want is to get off this planet with my friends safe, sound, and with Cooler out of our hair. We don't want to hurt anyone; we can't risk anything like that.'

'You're reluctant to lead your friends.'

Zangya picture Kogu and Bujin in her head. 'I've just had all this responsibility thrown onto me and the last thing I want is to let them down or get them killed. We've been with each other for so long, I couldn't think of a worse way to pay them back.'

Guru made a thoughtful sound. 'I've seen what I've needed to.'

With that, she felt a well of power unlocked within her. For a moment, it flooded her veins and her clothes fluttered in the aura generated. It was like nothing she'd felt before; it made her feel invincible! Guru let go of her and she looked at her arms. They looked the same but she'd never felt lighter.

And, underneath everything, she felt a wall. A cracked thing that hid ever more from her.

"If you would allow me," Lord Guru's voice drew her out as he spoke to her friends. "I will draw out your power."

Yemma blinked as he was suddenly staring at the ceiling of the check in station. There was hardly a beat between his falling over and an ogre running to his side.

"King Yemma, it's the Spirit Cleanser!The tanks have breached!"

His head snapped to the ogre. "What? A meltdown?!"

As he said the words, more booms could be heard outside and violet smoke erupted around the Check-in Station. The judge recognized it as the pure negative energy that it was. He rapidly made it to his feet even as the Heavens themselves continued to shake.

"That sludge represents thousands of years of spiritual waste and it's all being released at once!" He cried as a closer explosion jerked the building around and made him stumble. "What a disaster! This could destroy us all!"

Another ogre ran down the hallway next to the room as what looked like crack glass chased him. "King Yemma, one of our workers has mutated!" The worker screamed as the glass reached him and encased him completely. Yemma looked outside as the view took on a crystalline shine. Whatever their worker was now, it's trapped them in.

"If they're one of us, sir, can't you tell them to stop?" The ogre beside him asked.

Yemma shook his head. "They were one of us." Souls were clumping up against the barrier before they disappeared and their surroundings were replaced with what looked like countless floating jelly beans. "With the Check-in station shut down, there will be no barrier between dimensions. The Heavens won't be protected and Hell will be left wide open!"

Up above, a rotund creature of bright yellow and lavender clapped its hands with glee as Otherworld fell under its influence.

"Janemba! Janemba!"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Hm?"

The effeminate figure looked at his staff as it blared an alarm. He'd almost forgotten what it sound like, it's been so long since something warranted it. With a thought, the tall, blue angel was given direct feed into whatever troubled the universe.

"Oh dear."

Author's Notes

Apologies for the lateness! If you care enough to wanna know why, check out the latest Devil From the Heavens chapter. It'll explain.

It's a shorter chapter but it is dense with development I'd like to think.

Especially since this is the first time anything form Super has shown up. I think.

Let me know what y'all think!

Ent out.

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