by
Hung (Animeaddiction) Nguyen
: Thoughts
Fire and Wind: Enter Shayla-Shayla and Afra Mann
"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"
The denizens of Florastika were startled from their slumber as a horrified scream was heard from the heights of the palace towers. They became even more startled when a huge explosion flashed from the top of the east tower, blowing out the room within.
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The palace guards were on the scene in a flash as they burst into Fatora's room. They stood in shock as they saw a huge gaping hole in the wall and the entire area was in shambles. The bed was only good for firewood now and the entire floor had been torn up. Lying dazed with her feet sticking up was Allielle. She moaned a bit as her eyes were glazed with disbelief.
Leaning against one of the remaining walls, still in his princess disguise, Trunks was panting hard and clutching at his chest. Okay, he admitted that he did go overboard with that energy blast, but no one had ever grabbed him down THERE! Allielle had been completely taken in by the disguise and naturally decided to... take certain liberties that she usually had with the real Princess Fatora. She had been just as surprised to find something that wasn't supposed to be there.
Trunks could only laugh nervously and shrug his shoulders at the confused guards. "Don't worry... I'm always... this.... lively at bedtime... heh."
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The very next morning...
"Come again? You're Fatora's lover?" Fujisawa asked as he, Trunks and the girl sat in the ruined bedchambers.
The young girl with the dark purple hair nodded as she explained. "Yes, I was out visiting relatives and I just came back to Roshtaria last night." She then looked as if she was about to cry as thought about her missing princess. "I had just heard that my dear, sweet Fatora is missing! Oh, I never should have left her!"
"Excuse me, but haven't you ever thought of changing?" Fujisawa asked.
"No! I love her! I'll never give her up!"
Trunks sweatdropped. "Er, I'm really sorry about all this, Allielle is it? It's just that..."
The girl then composed herself and nodded to him. "Oh, don't worry. I promise that I won't snitch! We've just got to find Fatora! I'm totally lost without my darling!"
Both Fujisawa and the young Saiyan became even more uncomfortable as Allielle began describing her lover in very lude details. Luckily, she was too wrapped up in finding her beloved, that Allielle had not even asked or mentioned about that strange light that had appeared and destroyed the bedchambers. She was not all that sure what had happened and decided that it was of no importance to her finding her darling Fatora.
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"It is very important that no one is to suspect that anything is wrong and continue pretending that Trunks is the princess, Allielle."
"Yes your majesty, I understand." Allielle replied to Rune as they stood in the chamber.
Nearby, Trunks stood uncomfortably as the handmaidens reapplied the makeup and adjusted his traveling clothes. He was desperately wishing to be in his normal clothes again, but as long as he was standing in for the missing Fatora, he had endure this charade. He was now keeping his regular clothes and sword in the capsules that he carried with him. He always had a supply of the wondrous storage devices with him, since his mother had inherited the Capsule Corp from Dr. Briefs, his human grandfather. Dr. Briefs and his wife had recently retired and let their daughter Bulma take up the reins. Though his father would never admit it openly, Vegita did find the capsules to be very useful. The business had thrived so much, Trunks' family was now among the richest in the world. They were wealthier than even that 24-karat fake, Hercule Satan.
Behind him, Fujisawa was sitting on the floor and fashioning a length of rope. He was genuinely enjoying himself as he was looking forward to the journey ahead. He looked up to Dr. Schtallebaugh and Lons. "So tell me more about this Mount Muldoon and why we have to go there."
Schtallebaugh nodded as he replied. "Atop the holy mountain reside the three great Priestesses of Muldoon. They are the keepers of the ancient laws and the sacred Elemental Lamps. Each controls an aspect of nature and they are known far and wide for their great powers and wisdom. It is they who hold the key to unsealing the Eye of God. And the only people who can make that request are the members of the royal family of Roshtaria."
"Namely Princes Rune and..." Fujisawa glanced over to where Trunks was. "...princess... Fatora."
"Correct." Lons said. "And because of the Bugrom attack yesterday, we fear that it is too dangerous for Princess Rune to leave the palace. Therefore, we think that it would be safer instead for Trunks to go to Mount Muldoon and ask the Three Priestesses to unseal the Eye of God."
Trunks sighed sadly as the handmaidens put on the last of the makeup. "Isn't there any other way to..."
"I'm afraid not." Rune said. "The Three Priestesses are the only ones who can unseal the Eye of God and they will only do so on the command of the Royal Family."
"But I'm not part of the Royal Family!" Trunks said with exasperation.
"True, but until we can find our long-lost Princess Fatora, you shall have all the authority and responsibilities of her highness. " Lons said. "You are our emissary to Mount Muldoon and we are certain that the priestesses will grant our request."
Trunks could only shake his head and sighed again.
At that moment, as his sensei was reeling in his homemade mountain-climbing gear, something peeked out from behind a curtain and reached for a piece of rope. A feline head emerged, followed by a furry body and a fluffy tail. The cat padded over to where Trunks was and sat down on its haunches. Trunks looked down at it and saw that it had thick, brown fur and an orange mane that went from the top of its head, ran down its spine and ended in a lush tail. The feline cocked its head at Trunks, then amazingly... it spoke.
"Fatora."
"Huh?"
Rune then noticed the animal and smiled. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. You shall be protected." She then gave the cat a sharp command. "Ura!"
The cat got back to its feet and hunched over as it tensed up, ready to pounce. In an instant, it leapt at Trunks and flattened out its body, wrapping itself around his torso. The young Saiyan almost powered up in surprise but managed to keep himself under control as he looked at Rune and Lons in surprise. "What kind of crazy cat is this?!"
Rune chuckled a bit. "What you call a cat, we the Royal Family use as living armor. Ura used to be Fatora's and now she will protect you."
"Ah, he looks even more like her highness with the cat around him." Lons commented.
"He sure does! Even I'm getting turned on!" Fatora said coyly.
Trunks sweatdropped heavily, then looked at the cat that was now wrapped around him. Ura's head was located near his left shoulder. "Hey Ura. Nice to meet you. I'm Trunks."
Ura smiled as she cried out his name. "Trunks! Trunks!" She liked the way he smelled and he seemed very nice.
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Princess Rune watched from the balcony as the cruiser lifted off for Mount Muldoon. Aboard the vessel, Trunks, Allielle and Fujisawa looked out toward the horizon as the craft sped along. The history teacher and devoted mountain climber was more than ecstatic at the prospect of climbing Muldoon, in which Lons had described as the most treacherous ascent that few had ever attempted and survived.
As Rune watched the cruiser become a distant dot, she sighed and hoped that their mission was a successful one. Walking up behind her to join her on the balcony, Gallus nodded as he too watched the cruiser disappear over the horizon.
"I'm quite certain that your sister will be successful in convincing the Great Priestesses to unseal the Eye of God."
"Yes." Rune replied without taking her eyes off the horizon.
Gallus then looked over to the main courtyard and was slightly puzzled when he saw that one of the spires of the upper fences had been torn off.
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On the cruiser, Fujisawa admired the homemade pickaxe that he had fashioned from that piece of fence. Standing at the bow of the ship, Trunks grumbled. This trip was taking too long for his liking. He could have just as easily gotten to and up Mount Muldoon in minutes at full flying speed. However, it was just too risky. He couldn't reveal to his teacher that he had more than just super-strength. If they ever did get home, he would have had a hard time explaining to him that his father was from another planet and that others like him were on Earth. Heck, most of the populace believed that Mr. Satan was the one who had defeated the super-android Cell, seventeen years ago. Only the Z fighters and a few others knew the truth that it had been the work of Goku and his son Gohan. Goku had sacrificed his life to keep Cell from destroying the world and Gohan had finished the monster off.
So for now, Trunks just had to endure the relatively slow and arduous journey by traveling like a normal person. It was made even worse that he had to do it in a dress.
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Meanwhile, as these events were taking place, in the Bugrom Citadel, a great celebration was unfolding. The insect race were ecstatic as they had just conquered a neighboring territory with relative ease, thanks to their new general, Katsuhiko Jinnai.
Jinnai stood proudly as he was awarded the Bugrom's highest award from Queen Diva. Under his leadership, the territory of Bedlam had fallen with very little trouble for the giant insects. Since the Bugrom forces had become more organized with Nanami's brother at the helm, the minor countries stood very little chance of defending against the invaders. It was only a matter of time before Roshtaria itself would be under siege.
Later on, Jinnai was relaxing in Queen Diva's private chambers. The Bugrom empress smiled at her new general as she lunged on an elaborate sofa opposite to them.
"I must say that I am very impressed, Mr. Jinnai. An entire country falls to the might of our forces, thanks to you!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You can think of that territory as a small appetizer. Now I suppose you would like to be served up the main course... say, the kingdom of Roshtaria?"
"Mmmmm. You make war sound so delicious!"
At that moment, a small, winged Bugrom flew into the room and landed before his queen. He then relayed an urgent message to her, which made the Empress frown as she addressed her new ally in conquest. "Mr. Jinnai. I have just received some very disturbing news. Do you recall the weapon that I had told you about?"
"Yes. You called it the Eye of God. What of it?"
"It seems that accursed Rune Venus has sent her sister Fatora to Mount Muldoon to ask the Three Priestesses to unseal the weapon. If that happens, then all of our plans shall be ruined!"
"Is that all? Don't you worry about that." Jinnai gave an off-handed wave.
"But, the Eye of God is the most powerful weapon in all of El Hazard! Nothing can stand against it!"
"Hah! So what?" Jinnai scoffed as he stood up. "Any weapon, no matter how powerful it may be, is of little value unless its owner uses it. The nuclear missiles that were created during the Cold War on my world were destructive, but they ended up as overgrown paperweights and were never used. As I recall you telling me, the Eye of God needs both princesses of Roshtaria to activate it. The answer is quite simple. We just eliminate little Princess Fatora and the Eye of God is of no consequence. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Queen Diva became even more intrigued at her new commander as he casually spoke about murdering one of the members of Roshtaria's Royal Family.
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In an hidden cavern beneath the city of Florastika...
"Our plans are going smoothly, but there has been a little snag." Gallus said as he addressed a blue-skinned woman that was wearing a dark cloak and kneeling before him. "The Princess Fatora has left for Mount Muldoon to consult with the Great Priestesses to unseal the Eye of God."
Kiria's head went up when heard of this. "What? That is impossible, my lord!"
"Yes, indeed. Princess Rune has found a double and the members of the ruling council believe that this imposter is her sister. And I cannot reveal this fake Fatora to them for I would fall under direct suspicion for having knowledge of it."
"It must be a cruel irony that you cannot expose this imposter."
"No matter. This turn of events does afford us an excellent opportunity. I have disseminated information about this fake Fatora's whereabouts to the Bugrom. They will surely attack the double to prevent her from unsealing the Eye of God. In the confusion, I want you to assassinate this imposter."
"As you wish, my lord." With these words, the Phantom Tribeswoman faded from view to do her ruler's bidding.
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Trunks sighed as he trudged with Allielle up the steep slopes of Mount Muldoon. Padding along side them was Ura. Ahead of them, walking briskly and having a good time of it was Mr. Fujisawa. He was singing a little ditty as he continued to ascend.
"Oh, don't ever fall in love with a mountain man... he'll leave your heart in a valley as he climbs again..." He soon came to a signpost which indicated the direction of the mountain path they were taking. He then took a look around him and whistled at the rocky terrain below. "Wow! Look out Alps! The Himalayas would look like anthills compared to this!" He turned around and called back to others. "Hey! Hurry up back there! You're missing great view! You kids today got no stamina!"
Allielle panted as she was unused to traveling for so long and on such rough terrain. "I think your teacher is on another one of his trips!"
"That's what the caravan said when we left them behind." Trunks replied. He wasn't feeling tired, thanks to his unique physiology. The only real challenge was restraining himself from just taking off and flying up the mountain side. He was restricted to just trudging along like a normal, though super-strong human being.
Eventually, the trio stopped to rest on a rocky ledge before ascending the mountain once again. However, they were not alone as several pairs of beady eyes and one pair of squinty ones were watching them with murderous intent. Since their collective power levels were relatively low and they were quite some distance away, Trunks could barely sense them and assumed that they were just part of the usual background energies.
"Grrrr, Trunks, I would know you anywhere, in any world! You think that flimsy disguise would fool me?" Jinnai then caught sight of Allielle. "Ah, the Princess Fatora. She'll die any way!" He turned to address his band of Bugrom. "Hear me, my devoted! It is time to crush our enemies into the ground!"
The insects nodded as they began to move forward to attack. However, Jinnai waved them back and started yelling at them.
"What's the matter with you?! You can't just march in there against a mind like that! We need a plan!" Jinnai paused for a moment before slamming a fist into a palm. "Oh yeah!"
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A little further up the trail...
"As you can see, this is a perfect opportunity for an ambush!" Jinnai said as he pointed to a sign which indicated to the left fork in the road.
The Bugrom could only scratch their heads in confusion as they didn't comprehend their leader's intent.
Jinnai slapped his forehead before reaching up and turning the sign to point toward the right fork in the road. "There! Now do you understand?"
The Bugrom all pounded one fist into the other hand in instant comprehension.
The fanatical former Student President sighed as he said, "You must give up this irritating notion of honesty. I shall teach you how to commit the perfect foul! Now follow me!"
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"Faster! Faster! They'll be here any minute!" Jinnai paced in front of the group of Bugrom as they continued to dig a deep pit trap. "Where I come from, this would be called the ultimate pitfall!" He then addressed a large, purple-colored Bugrom. "You there, Groucho! Stop your slacking!"
The insect looked up and pointed to himself while emitting some noises which loosely translated as, 'Who me?'
"Damn right I'm talking to you!" Nanami's brother then pointed to the others. "From now on, your names are... Harpo... Cheeko... Zeppo and... Gummo!" He then spoke to another Bugrom that walked up to him. "Yes, what is it, Margaret?"
The Bugrom indicated with a flick of his antennae. This caused Jinnai to go into a rage. "What?! They took the other route?! Grrrrrr! Trunks! He always seems to be there to mess up my plans! Let's go!"
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Some time later...
Trunks sighed for the umpteenth time as he and his group made their way across some very narrow and crumbling stone bridges. Below them was a deep chasm. One wrong move would give a person a very long time to wave goodbye as he plummeted to his death. Of course, Trunks wasn't worried about that since he could fly. What got him upset was the fact that there had been an easier way of getting to the top. However, Mr. Fujisawa had insisted on taking the scenic route.
This included clinging to the sheer face of a very narrow pathway, scaling the most steepest side of Mount Muldoon and entering a cavern that would freeze anything in a hard crystal substance. The young Saiyan found the heavy robes he was wearing as cumbersome and ill-suited the journey. How can anybody wear these things? And that girdle he was forced to wear wasn't helping either.
"Shoot! What's with this silly wind and stuff? AND WHERE IS THE DAMN SNOW?!" Fujisawa complained as they continued on their way. After losing his bottle of wine in the Crystal Cavern, Fujisawa's superhuman strength had been steadily returning.
Allielle gasped as more of the bridge they were traversing began to crumble. "Please sir! Be quiet or you'll cause the whole bridge to collapse!"
Walking ahead of them, Ura stopped suddenly as she sensed an evil presence. Her suspicions were confirmed as the rest of the group stopped when they heard Jinnai's crazed and maniacal laughter. Then the villain himself appeared from behind a rock on the other side of the bridge.
"Well, well! If it isn't my arch-nemesis, Trunks! Long time, no see!"
Trunks' eyes widened as he saw him. "Huh? Jinnai? You got transported here too?"
"As always, my archrival contrives once again to ruin my plans of greatness with his meddling!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? We're just here to..."
"Don't hand me that!" Jinnai shouted in outrage. "You're here to stop me from assuming my rightful place as ruler of El Hazard! Well, you're not going to get in my way this time!"
"You're talking funny again."
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On a nearby ledge, the servant of Gallus watched as the drama played itself out. If this Jinnai person succeeded in his bid to eliminate the fake Fatora, then she would not even have to get involved.
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"By the way, speaking things that are funny, that sure is a cute outfit you're wearing, Trunks!"
"Hey! It's not what you think!"
Jinnai shrugged as he snapped his fingers, signaling for his Bugrom followers to appear. "Personally, I would have thought that a funeral shroud would be more appropriate."
"It's those bugs again!" Fujisawa exclaimed as he began backing away from the other end of the bridge.
"Found some new friends, eh Jinnai?" Trunks growled as he tensed up. Ura nodded as she leapt up and wrapped herself around her new master's upper body.
"These are my new followers, Trunks! They shall put an end to your existence for good! Begin!"
Two of the Bugrom came up and started chipping away large chunks at the base of the bridge.
"Oh boy! Retreat!" Masamichi did an about-face with the others but then stopped short as he saw another pair of Bugrom chipping away at the other side. Jinnai continued to laugh maniacally as he watched his foe helpless and unable to do anything.
Fujisawa then caught sight of another bridge parallel to the one they were standing on some thirty feet away. Dropping his pickaxe, he swept up Allielle in his arms and called to Trunks. "Trunks! Follow my lead!"
Fujisawa and Trunks leapt as the bridge collapsed beneath them. The history teacher and girl made it to the other bridge, but Trunks and Ura overshot them and landed on another ledge some sixty feet away.
Jinnai gasped in disbelief. "What the...?!"
The mountain climber smirked as he taunted their tormentor. "Hah! How do you like our super jumps? I don't go on the wagon for nothing!"
Allielle gazed at Trunks and asked her savior. "I don't understand, sensei-teacher. How did Trunks make it over there?"
Fujisawa shrugged. "I guess since Trunks doesn't drink, he's probably at full strength. I'm still feeling a bit... whoops!" Fujisawa then saw that the bridge beneath him was also crumbling away and he then began leaping from bridge to bridge, trying to get away. Even with his returning super-powers, it was quite a workout.
Fortunately, Trunks was there to lend them a hand. As soon as he saw that his sensei was having difficulties, he started leaping toward them. Just as he reached them, Masamichi and Allielle had landed on a very thin bridge and began falling. The young half-Saiyan grabbed the both of them in mid-jump and poured on the speed.
"After them!' Jinnai shouted as he climbed on the back of Groucho. The Bugrom began chasing after their retreating prey, taking the more stable routes up the mountain.
"Hang on guys!" With both people firmly in hand, the son of Vegita leaped like a frog that was hopped up, (pardon the pun), on steroids, putting more distance between them and their pursuers. When they came to a wall of a sheer cliff, Trunks didn't even pause as he made a high jump that would have given him a platinum medal at the Olympics. The three people and cat rocketed upward and reached a level plateau. It was a high jump of more than one hundred feet with some two hundred and fifty pounds weighing Trunks down.
However, as Trunks landed on the edge of the cliff, it crumbled under his feet. Before he began falling, he quickly tossed his sensei and Allielle to safety.
"Trunks!" Fujisawa cried out as he scrambled toward the edge and looked down at his student as he fell. It seemed that he was lost.
As Trunks hurtled down toward the ground, he knew that there was no other way. He was going to have to fly. However, before he could power up his energy to stop his descent, Ura decided to step in. Unaware of her new master's other abilities, she reacted swiftly to save Trunks' life.
Extending her front paws while keeping the rest of her body wrapped around him, the cat dug her claws into the rocky cliff side. The two of them slowed to a stop and the feline then raced back up the mountain with Trunks in tow.
Though he hadn't been in any real danger, the half-Saiyan was grateful to the cat all the same. "Hey! Cool! Thanks Ura!"
"It's a job." Ura said nonchalantly.
By the time they reached the plateau, Trunks saw that Fujisawa had his hands full fighting off the Bugrom. He knew that his teacher was still under the effects of the alcohol that he had been drinking, and wasn't at full strength. He was getting worn down as he and Allielle were being forced back toward another steep mountain wall. The fact that they were outnumbered ten to one also took its toll.
There was no point in hiding his full abilities any more. Trunks knew that he had to save them. He began running toward them while starting to power up. Ura became a bit puzzled as she felt a strange energy begin to course through his body.
----------
At that moment, Kiria smiled as held up her crossbow and aimed. Trunks' head was in her sights and with the Bugrom now moving to attack him, her target was therefore distracted and she had the perfect shot. She too was confused as she thought she saw Trunks start to glow. At that moment, she was momentarily blinded as a beam of light struck the ground between Trunks and the Bugrom, causing them to stop in their tracks.
Everyone looked up in the direction of where that beam had come from and Trunks began sensing a very strong power level.
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Atop a ledge some fifty feet above the plateau, the woman stood with her hands on her hips and glaring at Jinnai and the Bugrom. She had bright red hair that was cropped in stylish disarray and trailed down behind her in a long tail. Her eyes were a very attractive green shade. Her skin was a light bronze, She was wearing a red dress that had a hem that barely reached mid-thigh. On her forehead was a headband. Her arms had brown leather elbow pads, and her hands were wearing fingerless gloves. On her left thigh was a kind of leather holster and she wore brown boots. On her hips, the tops of her boot toes, her headband and the back of her dress were several, round, jewels.
The newcomer seemed to radiate a kind of sensual fire and Allielle instantly became enamored at her.
"Ooh, red hair..." She couldn't keep her eyes off the voluptuous beauty before them as she continued to glare at Jinnai and his Bugrom forces. Then she spoke in a voice that emulated her position as the Chief Priestess of Fire.
"And just who gave you the permission to commit murder on the holy mountain of God?"
Jinnai sneered at the interfering woman who dared get in his way. "Permission? I'll commit murder wherever I want! Get her!"
Two of the Bugrom leapt to attack the newcomer, but the female simply held up a hand and shot out a gout of flame which fried the insects and sent them crashing down to the ground.
"Not bad." Trunks remarked. He then reached into the front of his outfit and took out one of the capsules that he carried with him.
"Go get 'em, sister!" Allielle cheered.
The woman smirked as she looked down at Jinnai and the rest of the Bugrom. "Hmmm, I've been itching for a fight."
At that moment, her holster opened up as she reached down to take out the Lamp of Fire. With one quick motion, the device was mounted over her left hand as she grasped the handle at the front and pulled. The handle was attached to a thin wire, which began cocking back the ignition lever like an ancient lighter. When the striker clicked and then struck the flint, the ancient power of Elemental Fire was activated. The jewels of her clothes began to glow and emitted streams of light between them. The woman stood in a ready stance as the streams of energy formed wing like projections about her. Her voice echoed as she tensed up.
"GET READY..."
She then leapt down at her foes.
"GET READY TO DIE!"
The energy streams gave her a kind of limited flight ability, as if she were moving in lesser gravity. She landed among the hordes and caused a massive explosion of flames, scattering the giant insects like ashes. The Bugrom screamed in agony as their forces became the target of a flaming she-devil.
At this point, Trunk pressed the top of the capsule and tossed it to one side.
BOM!
The capsule exploded and released its cargo, which was a large duffel bag that contained Trunks' regular clothes and his sword. He quickly opened it and grabbed his blade before rushing toward the scene of the battle, intent on helping their new ally. His Saiyan blood began to heat up as his desire for combat started to appear. He quickly slung his sword onto his back and unsheathed the weapon.
The Fire Priestess was lost in the heat of battle (literally), as she leapt too and fro, barbequing her enemies with every landing. It seemed that nothing could stop her. However, though she was quite powerful, she also had a personality to match her fiery position. She fought with the fury of a volcano, but with very little skill, letting her power simply overwhelm her enemies. When she landed in the midst of a large group of Bugrom, she found herself in a bad position. One Bugrom got too close behind for her to bring up her fire power and she braced for impact.
WHOMP!
The Bugrom was sent flying as Trunks' side kick connected. The newcomer then gasped as she saw what appeared to be a girl wielding a very wicked-looking broadsword. Around her chest was some kind of cat. The Priestess had to blink several times and wondered if she was seeing things as the girl blurred in and out, flashing that blade and swinging it about.
Mr. Fujisawa and Allielle also gaped in shock as they tried to follow Trunks' movements. However, he was moving too fast for them to catch all of his actions. Every now and then they would see a brief glimpse of him as he battled with the Bugrom, then disappear again, only to reappear somewhere else. The only thing that they could discern was the deadly flash of light that his sword produced as he cut through the Bugrom ranks. After fifteen seconds of the dazzling display, Trunks blurred into sight and stopped in a ready pose with sword held high. The Bugrom stood motionless like statues and a foreboding silence came over the area. Then the giant insects collapsed to the ground and fell to pieces.
Jinnai gulped after witnessing the display and called for a tactical retreat. He quickly jumped onto Groucho's back. As the self-proclaimed future ruler hightailed it out of there with his remaining followers, he shouted back at his rival. "This isn't over yet, Trunks! I'll be back!"
The red-haired woman watched the Bugrom depart and then turned to the 'girl' who had helped her. She had not heard Jinnai calling the Saiyan by his real name. "I must say, that was really impressive! Though I really didn't need your help, I appreciate it all the same."
Trunks shrugged as he casually tossed his sword up into the air and leaned sideways to his left. This movement brought his scabbard up vertically and the weapon landed easily into it, sheathing itself with a clang before he stood up straight.
"You really know how to use that, don't you?" She commented.
Ura was more than flabbergasted after what had just happened. She had been with her new master the whole time and even she couldn't believe it. She had never moved that fast before. She looked up at him with awe. It had all been a blur.
Trunks smiled down at his friend and motioned for her to disembark, now that the danger was over. The cat obeyed and unwrapped herself. She landed lightly onto the ground and sat down on her hunches, still looking at Trunks in wonder.
At that moment, Mr. Fujisawa and Allielle ran up to them.
"Master Trun... I mean, Mistress Fatora! Are you all right?" Allielle called out.
The woman's eyes widened when she heard this. "Fatora? You mean... you're...?"
Trunks sighed as he realized hat he had to take up the charade again. He winced a bit as he... er, she introduced him, herself. "Yes. I'm... Princess Fatora... sister to Princess Rune of the Royal Family of Roshtaria. Nice to meet with you... er....?"
The woman smiled as she introduced herself. "I am the High Priestess of Fire of Mount Muldoon. Around here, I'm called Shayla-Shayla."
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In the temple atop Mount Muldoon...
"Whoa. So you're one of the High Priestesses, eh? We're all very grateful that you came when you did. I don't know how much longer I could have held out." Mr. Fujisawa said as he and Trunks sat on a couch.
Standing in front of them and leaning against a counter, Shayla-Shayla nodded and smiled. "No problem. I had wanted to get some exercise and that little battle was just the thing. Though from what I saw, Princess Fatora could have handled it all on her own." She then turned to Trunks. "I never would have thought that a princess of Roshtaria would know how to wield a sword like that. You moved so fast that I couldn't follow you."
"Yeah, Fatora... I've been meaning to ask you about that myself." Fujisawa said with some suspicion. "I knew that you were strong, but I never thought you could move THAT fast."
"Oh, it was nothing sen... er, Mr. Fujisawa." Trunks replied nervously. "I was always able to run fast in SCHOOL and I guess I got FASTER later on. You see?"
The history teacher paused for a moment as he took in Trunks' words, especially the ones that he had stressed. "Oh I get it." He then nodded as he comprehended on what he thought his student was trying to tell him. He remembered back to when Trunks had won that track meet and how fast he had moved then. He assumed incorrectly that the trip to El Hazard had increased all of Trunks' athletic skills, especially his strength and speed. He was still unaware that his student's abilities were due to his alien heritage.
At this time Allielle started cuddling up to the priestess, which made Shayla-Shayla a bit uncomfortable. "Ooh, sister Shayla-Shayla."
It was then that a door opened up and a new person walked in. She had dark hair that was cropped short with one tress hanging over his right side. Her eyes were a deep violet, her skin was pale, and she seemed to radiate a kind of cool, efficiency about her, unlike Shayla-Shayla's sensual intensity. She wore a kind of green and aqua body suit with dark blue boots and a kind o short, armored cloak over her shoulders. She had a traveling bag slung over one shoulder as she walked into the room and glared at her colleague.
"Shayla-Shayla, I thought that you would be ready by now. We're going to miss the Purification Ceremony!"
Shayla nodded as she gestured to her guests. "Hey Afra. Look who just dropped in. Princess Fatora of Roshtaria."
"Oh! I see." Afra said as she gave them a slight bow. "One of the princesses of Roshtaria. Welcome to the temple of Mount Muldoon, your highness. I am Afra Mann, High Priestess of Wind."
Trunks nodded as he stood up. "Er, yes well, I'm afraid that this isn't a social visit. You see, we have traveled all this way because..."
"I'm terribly sorry, Princess, but I'm afraid that we don't have the time. Whatever the purpose of your visit will have to wait until next time. Good day to you."
"Hey wait a second! There's something very important that we have to ask of you!"
However, the two priestesses went out onto a large balcony and looked out toward the horizon. Afra then took out what looked like an ornamental belt buckle and attached it to some clips on her waist. The Elemental Lamp of Wind activated itself as Afra Mann summoned up some very strong breezes.
Shayla grasped onto Afra's waist and held on tight as she nodded to her colleague. The two of them lifted off into the sky and were out of sight within minutes, heading in a westerly direction toward the setting sun.
Trunks ran after them as they departed but was stopped by Mr. Fujisawa, who grabbed his hand and pulled him back before he could take off. It was just as well as Trunks remembered himself. Nobody knew that he could fly. He could only watch with in frustration as the two females sailed out of sight.
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"So now what do we do?" Trunks asked.
"They mentioned something about a purification ceremony." Allielle commented.
Mr. Fujisawa took out one of the few remaining cigarettes that he had left and lit it. He looked out to where the two women had disappeared to. "I guess I wasn't listening. What is that?"
"That's right! I've heard about it. There's a place called the Spring of Arliman, that's beyond the Desert of Bleached White Bones."
"Sounds like a real fun place." Trunks said with sarcasm.
Allielle nodded as she continued with her explanations. "The holy people go there once a year to practice strict aesthetics in accordance to ancient laws. They use that place for meditation and purification."
'Sounds like it's some kind of hot springs resort." Fujisawa remarked as he took another puff on his cigarette.
"So what now? Do we head back to Roshtaria?" Trunks asked.
The history teacher sighed as he finished off his cigarette. "I guess we'll have to follow them into that bone desert."
Allielle cried out in despair as Trunks could only hold the bridge of his nose and shake his head. This trip just kept on getting worse.
Hmmmm, at least Nanami wasn't pulled into this world with the rest of us. She's probably going home from school by now, after working hard as usual.
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Well, not quite...
Nanami winced as she clutched the wad of Roshtalls in her hands. She had endured a lot after getting this job as a waitress. Several of the more rowdier customers had grabbed her rear while handing her a tip for her serving their food. She had nearly slugged one man, but had to swallow her pride and restrained herself. She knew that only the money she earned would get her out of the predicament she was in. She looked wistfully out into the evening sky and wondered just how her friends were doing, especially a certain purple-haired teen named Trunks.
End of chapter 2
Author's notes
Well, that takes care of the second chapter and I think I did a pretty good job of it. Trunks is finding it more harder to restrain himself and there will be more character development of our Saiyan hero as time goes on. In the next chapter we'll see a few appearances of the other characters of the Dragon Ball universe as they wonder had had happened to Vegita's son. Meanwhile in El Hazard, Jinnai gets wind of the ultimate weapon... Ifurita. Next on Dragon Ball Hazard, the Third Night: Hot Springs and Hotter Tempers. See you there! (Hey, I've just become the narrator!)