"S-sorry I'm late…"

A strained expression was present on Cabba's face. The last arrival for the hunting squad had appeared.

"K-Kale...how nice."

Chapter 5: Beast

Kale's ponytail bobbed up and down as she caught her breath, many wary looks pointed her way from the crowd. Cabba's uncomfortable expression returned to normal as he accepted the situation, Kale however had her eyes focused elsewhere. Gaze glued to Gohan, Kale saw the man give her a wave from his spot on the ground. Befuddled, she unconsciously turned to check if there was someone behind her.

Gohan had been made aware of 'issues' surrounding the woman thanks to Caulifla. It really was sad how uncertain she was, coupled with the looks she received. Getting up to his feet he walked over to Kale directly.

"Hey Kale, I didn't expect to see you here." If her slight jump was any indication, she had no mistakes as to who Gohan had been waving to.

"O-oh, Hello." A glance into his eyes was all it took before she found herself staring at the floor. To his credit Gohan didn't miss a beat.

"This is actually my first time going on a hunt, it's nice to be going with someone I know. You'll have to show me how it's done." Gohan said.

"You two know each other?" Cabba joined the conversation.

"Yeah, we had a spar earlier on, she hits really hard." Cogs started to turn in Cabba's head as he processed the information.

"Say, Kale. I'm aware you're usually a forerunner, but how about giving Gohan a hand today. This mission is a bit of a long one and it's his first time, you two can bring up the rear."

Kale's face underwent an astonishing transformation upon being addressed by Cabba. The meek demeanour melted away and a look of disdain had taken over. The air suddenly felt a lot heavier.

"Uh.. I mean, if that's ok with you?" Seconds passed in silence, Cabba awkwardly waiting for an answer.

"Fine." The ugly sneer on her face definitely didn't give the impression that it was 'fine.'

"R-right, thanks guys. I'll leave you to it, we'll be heading out shortly."

Relief washed over Cabba as he quickly took his leave. As he started rounding up the men for last minute checks Kale was still riled up. Gohan felt he had to address the elephant in the room lest this get too uncomfortable.

"What was that about?"

"He's weak...He shouldn't be a Captain." Her nose scrunched further as she snarled at the man in the distance.

"He seemed pretty strong to me, I had a tough time sparring him." Gohan said.

"That's not what I meant." She turned to glare at Gohan when his firm gaze met her head on. Wincing as she realised she was making a scene, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"...Sorry." Her apparent mood swing fizzled away.

"Formation!" Cabba's voice broke through the air and everybody began assembling.

"Looks like everyone's about to leave, let's go." Gohan made extra sure to offer a small smile her way before heading off. As Kale followed slowly behind, Gohan pondered over what he'd just witnessed. The girl seemingly had a split personality, one very shy and reserved, the other… well he wasn't sure what to call it. When he'd been fighting her it was like she was in a trance but her aura was the most ominous thing about her. With Cabba however… well maybe it was an issue she had specific to Cabba. He didn't seem like a bad guy though, so he didn't know what the problem was besides him being 'weak'.

Everyone lined up in formation, scouts and pathfinders at the front with Cabba just behind them, flanked by Vice Captains Celeria and Cado. In the middle of the group were the non-combatants who handled butchering and supplies, encircled on all sides by warriors as protection. A few scouts were also stationed at the back of the formation, lastly followed by Gohan and Kale.

The archway in front of them shimmered as the hazy barrier to the outside dissipated, a gateway to the wilds opened.

"Move out!"

The scouts immediately disappeared from view and Cabba began leading the rest of the group at a running pace. Bright purple skies hung overhead on a windless day, occasional rustles and swishes from their passage through surrounding foliage.

Gohan realised two things very quickly; the first was that no one was flying and the second was how quiet everyone's footfalls were, despite the pace. He willed himself to rein in his stomps and with notable effort was successful.

What was surprising was how everyone was able to keep up. Whilst it was by no means fast for Gohan, he hadn't expected the non-combatants to be so swift. If they were this fast already wouldn't flying be faster? He wondered if maybe they couldn't fly, or if it was for stealth reasons that they travelled on foot. The people just ahead of Gohan had their heads front and center but their eyes darted left, right and even up every few seconds, Kale was doing the same. Rather than keeping to himself Gohan let curiosity grab hold.

"Any reason we're travelling on foot?" Gohan said.

"Kra roam the skies in groups so it's best to stick to the ground. Unless...unless you're strong it's not a good idea to be flying away from the city borders." Kale said.

"Sounds like you'd be fine then."

"Uhm, u-usually we don't talk while travelling…" For some reason being told off nicely by someone so meek was quite embarrassing. Shutting up and focusing on his surroundings Gohan made sure to pay attention to the skies as they moved, just in case.

The hunting squad travelled on foot through a large forested expanse, which stretched the entirety of their journey thus far. The overhanging purple trees obscuring vision from above and allowing for cool travels away from the beating sun. This continued for hours until the scouts were seen making their way back towards the squad.

"Halt!"

Everybody came to a stop and one of the scouts began reporting to Cabba. Gohan couldn't hear what was being said but he did notice the Captain's frown.

"Gohan, Kale, upfront." With a gesture of his head he motioned the two to come forward.

"Everything alright?" Gohan said.

"We're close to a Dra Burrow about 10 minutes north of here. Levels look to vary from 3 to 4, between all of us it should be an easy sweep, however… There are abnormally large claw prints around the area but no sighting of the Dra to match it." Celeria and Cado gained grim looks whilst Gohan was out of the loop.

"And what does that mean exactly?"

"With Dra it's easy to tell how strong one is, you just look at how big they are. Anything our size is easy, twice the size and it gets a bit troubling. But these footprints from what I'm told...well they probably belong to a level 6….at least." Cabba said. Level 6, in other words a creature capable of battling a Captain… of battling a Super Saiyan. Cabba was stuck in contemplation, the potential for this excursion to go wrong was very high.

"If I was by myself I'd call this whole thing off right now, we aren't in dire need of Dra meat. However, we have a very strong team this time." Cabba pointedly looked at Gohan, Kale and the two Vice Captains. Cabba was a Super Saiyan, as was Gohan, and though he wasn't certain, Kale should be one too. The five looked at each other wordlessly all coming to the same conclusion, they would continue the mission.

"Good," Cabba said "I don't want to put the rest of the squad at risk so we'll be the only ones to enter Dra territory. But just in case… Kale, I want you to hang back here. If anything manages to get past us you know what to do." What surprised Gohan was Kale agreeing, albeit begrudgingly.

"Cado, you stay back too." The Vice Captain agreed without hesitation.

"Guess that means I'm with you." Gohan said. It wasn't really a question.

"Right. Celeria, get ready to move out. Cado, make sure everyone is caught up with the situation and stays put." Cabba said. He looked at Kale and merely nodded before turning to leave. His reasoning behind not bringing her along was that she was used to fighting alone. What if she lost control and accidentally blew up one of her allies. But if it really came down to it, and somehow a Dra did get by Gohan and himself...they wouldn't get past Kale.

Cabba, Gohan and Celeria dashed through the forest at a pace far faster than before. They were all powerful warriors a cut above the rest, the trees flitting by in a blur one by one. It wasn't long before Gohan began to notice certain signs that they were closing in. There were claw marks littering the ground, blue scales here and there as well as an unpleasant odor that tainted the air. Cabba began to decelerate and signaled to be quiet, the group moved forward at a cautious pace before ducking behind some foliage.

It was through a gap in greenery that Gohan saw what a Dra looked like for the first time. They were blue scaled bipedal creatures that looked like a cross between a dragon and a snake. They all lounged around what appeared to be an oversized ant hill with burrows leading into the ground. There were 10 Dra in vision, the biggest being about twice as tall as himself. The strangest thing was that when Gohan tried, he couldn't get a read on their energy. They must be adept at concealing their power. He was brought out of his thoughts as Cabba grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled them in for a huddle.

"Gohan, you see the big guy? He's yours. Celeria, I want some cover until I reach their burrows. After that focus on clearing the rest of them out." What unnerved Gohan was how he was unable to gauge their power, it reminded him of the androids. Moreso he was worried for Celeria, would she really be ok covering Cabba as well as fending off a glut of Dra?

"Oh, just remember Gohan, try not to make it too messy. Ready?" No, not really.

With a burst of speed Cabba rushed out of the bushes igniting his aura. Gohan followed hot on his tail and made a beeline for the biggest Dra, Celeria close behind. Loud hisses sounded as the Dra were alerted to their presence. Celeria threw out a volley of blasts causing the reptiles to scatter, paving Cabba a path directly into their home. The small Captain disappeared into the underground burrow in search of any other Dra. Meanwhile Gohan had appeared in front of the largest one, aura gradually building.

Having regained their wits a bit they organised themselves and began encircling the remaining two Saiyans. The larger Dra gave off a toothy scowl as a hiss left it's mouth. As if it were an order, all of the Dra leapt as one, attacking the duo in unison.

"Come on then." Celeria growled as she expelled a shockwave of energy from her body, knocking her attackers away. Using this opportunity to break the encirclement, she dashed off into the woods with five Dra hot on her tail.

Gohan shot forward and sent the large one flying before dodging the onslaught of the other four. He was clipped once but it barely registered as damage. Confident in his power he stopped dodging and directly slammed each of his fists into the chests of two of the attacking Dra. Gohan grimaced when his hands exploded out of their backs, scales flying in a rather gorey display. The remaining two Dra clawed at Gohan but their attacks were less than effective. They faced a similar fate as their fallen brethren, screeching out a final garbled breath. A roar of energy exploded off to the side as he finally felt the formidable aura of the large Dra.

A claw caught Gohan across the shoulder, this time ripping his attire and drawing blood. The big Dra managed to catch him off guard, and followed up with another slash as Gohan brought both arms up to defend himself. Flesh tore as blood sprayed causing the Saiyan warrior to wince. He hadn't experienced fighting against clawed opponents before, blocking sharp talons apparently being a bad idea. He sensed Celeria's energy fluctuating off in the distance and grew antsy.

The Dra swiped once more only for Gohan to catch the offending claw. With a shout, gold light flared from the Saiyan's body and his hand erupted forth in a blaze. The Dra only processed the flashing aura before it's chest plate had been decimated and a hole was where it's heart had once been. Gohan's teal eyes were already focused elsewhere as he headed off into the direction he sensed his comrade.

The large Dra slumped to its knee and before passing, let out a long high pitched screech. The screech was so loud it caused Gohan to stop mid flight to reorient himself. He took one last look back to make sure the Dra was indeed dead, before blasting off to Celeria.

Gohan blurred across the landscape and was on Celeria within seconds. She was in combat with one last Dra when a golden figure blitzed through the reptile, sending it flying. It rocketed to the ground cratered and dead.

"Are you ok?" Celeria stood there dumbfounded, staring at the golden warrior. She had one large cut across her abdomen and her energy was quite low, but nothing life threatening.

"Y-yeah. Thanks for the help." Her aura relaxed and she lowered her guard, grunting as she finally noticed her injury. Absent-mindedly Gohan felt Cabba's energy surge in the distance, indicating he'd gone Super Saiyan also.

"That cut doesn't look too good." Gohan said. Celeria reached into a pouch on her back and pulled out a small bottle. Ripping the top off of it she poured a clear liquid into her palm before slathering it over the open wound.

"This'll have to do for now. I'll be fine as long as it doesn't open up again. Say did you see Capt-" Celeria was cut off by a large explosion going off not far from them. The ground trembled and Gohan felt Cabba's energy plummet. He was in trouble.

"Shit. Stay here."

With haste, he flew back the way he came. Destroying all trees in his path he made it back to the Dra burrows, only to find the whole mound unearthed. In the middle of the massive dust cloud he spotted a bloody Cabba fleeing from not one, but three massive Dra. These Dra were at least double the size of the largest one he had fought previously. One of them started charging a blast and Gohan's eye bulged at the power behind it.

Not having time to consider the consequences of his actions, Gohan threw caution to the wind. Wreathed in golden energy his hands raised above his head as a glowing orb coalesced.

"Masenko." A devastating blast launched towards the group of Dra, catching them all unawares. One of the Dra was sent flying as golden energy blasted directly into its back. The detonation threw the weakened Cabba flying as the shockwave rippled outward. Gohan saw the Saiyan and moved to grab him and get him the hell out.

His approach was halted as with a loud hiss two of the Dra appeared in front of the Saiyan, seemingly unaffected by his attack. As they swung their sharp claws, Gohan released his energy in a protective barrier.

"Energy Shield." To his horror, the shield lasted all of a split second before their combined might ripped it apart. Their attacks continued unimpeded as they sliced criss crossed grooves from both of his shoulders down to his waist. Blood spurted in excess and Gohan nearly blacked out from the pain but the impending doom of another attack kept his mind sharp. Releasing as much energy as he possibly could in an instant, a shockwave of ki burst forth, the staggering force enough to earn Gohan a moment's reprieve. A roundhouse kick sent one Dra flying and a blast to the face dealt with the other. Eyes darting around he caught sight of Cabba evading the third Dra's clawed attacks.

Raising his speed to the maximum, he blind sided the Dra engaged in combat with Cabba. A double handed hammer fist sent the reptilian beast flying and Cabba followed up with a volley of energy hoping to put the beast down. Gohan noted Cabba's injuries and heavy breathing before realising he himself had some gruesome cuts, adrenaline dulling the pain for the moment.

"We need to leave." Cabba nodded in assent and the two escaped into the skies at top speed.

Those Dra were definitely Captain level, on top of that they had the advantage in numbers. They were incredibly fast, and blocking their attacks was definitely not a good idea as he'd learnt.

Cabba's Super Saiyan aura was starting to flicker and Gohan cursed, hoping they'd put enough distance between themselves and the reptiles before his energy gave out.

A screech froze the duo in their tracks as a Dra appeared in front of them. The reptile opened its mouth to reveal an orb of energy. Widening his eyes, Gohan pushed Cabba out of the way before being enveloped by the blast. The explosion sent the two careening to the ground as Gohan landed with a loud thud. The blast had cauterized his chest wounds and sent searing pain through his body.

The two Saiyans rose to their feet as the three powerful Dra converged on them screeching and hissing. With battered bodies and low energy Gohan didn't see a way out, the reptile's advantage in numbers was too much. Summoning his remaining strength forth he lashed out with a series of punches, managing to gain some ground and push one of the Dra back. Unfortunately the other two beasts had focused on Cabba and the Saiyan Captain was unable to hold his own. It was at that moment that Gohan made up his mind. Digging deep inside Gohan pulled on his energy with all his might, body burning from the strain as power surged out.

Rushing forward he blasted the two Dra away before grabbing Cabba and throwing him. Hard.

"Get out of here!"

He didn't even look to see if the Saiyan Captain had complied, all he knew was he had to keep the Dra distracted for as long as he could. As he turned to face them, they were upon him. His momentary burst of strength disappeared as soon as he took the brunt of the first blow. He tried to evade but his limbs wouldn't do what he wanted. The second hit that landed opened a line of gore down his back and the third caused his golden aura to dissipate. Nothing left to give Gohan fell to his knees as the last dregs of energy faded away. How pathetic, had he even stalled for more than 10 seconds?

His teal eyes slowly turned to black, and as he stared at the sky he thought that maybe he was seeing some premortem hallucination. The sky had shifted from the usual vibrant purple to dark green. In the distance, a beacon of starlight. A green star. He'd never seen a green star before. It was then that he felt it, the most disgusting and oppressive aura he'd ever experienced. The Dra also felt it, no longer paying him attention. The star released a shockwave and then flickered, force and light blinding and subjugating those who stared.

In an instant the star spanned the distance, uprooting everything in its path as the ground was cleaved in two. A flash of green exploded through the crevice, slamming into the Dra and obliterating their bodies. Gohan could scarcely believe what he'd just witnessed, let alone felt. His weakened body was having trouble even breathing in this things presence.

The 'star', wreathed in a sickly green aura, approached Gohan with a crazed looked. Upon seeing the state he was in the aura lessened and sadness promptly marred her face. A face he recognized. What the hell was she?

"Are you ok?" Kale said.

A/N:

Index:

Gohan

Age: 20

Level: Unranked

Gohan is an adept Super Saiyan warrior who has just recently arrived on a mysterious new planet full of his supposed extinct race.

Caulifla

Age: 22

Level: 6 (Captain)

Caulifla is a Saiyan Captain who recently joined the ranks of Super Saiyan. She was promoted to her role as Captain prior to said transformation and has many military merits and battles under her belt.

Cabba

Age: 18

Level: 7 (Captain)

Cabba is a Saiyan who was promoted to the role of Captain when he became one of the youngest Super Saiyans outside the royal family at the age of 16. His abundance of ki makes him a strong fighter, even against those more experienced than himself.

Kale

Age: 20

Level: ?

Kale is a Saiyan who serves under Captain Caulifla. She is usually meek and reserved until she starts fighting. For unknown reasons she has trouble controlling her power, but shows glimpses of great potential.

Celeria:

Age 25

Level: 5 (Vice Captain)

Celeria is a Saiyan serving under Captain Cabba as his 2nd in charge.