chapter3

The whole group stepped into a large cave. Small torches were attached to the wall. The door closed and disappeared. "Let's go on." Nafta said and started walking. "And lets try not to split up."

While they were walking (sliding, in Goku's case) they told each other what had happened to them. Nafta was the only one who didn't say a word. Vegeta didn't say much. He was worried. When would he be weakening again? He couldn't take someone else's blood again. He might kill someone! But this thing had one bright side. His senses were sharper. He could hear, see and smell better. Maybe it could be useful.

Bulma's feet didn't hurt anymore. She felt stronger, even while she wasn't transformed. And also her senses were sharper. The next four hours the environment didn't change. Everybody, expect Vegeta, got tired. They looked for a good place and lied down. There was no wood, or something else that could burn, so they couldn't make a campfire. Vegeta stayed awake to wake.

After some hours of sleep they went on, wondering where this cave could end. At the same time, Bulma and Vegeta yelled to stop. They had noticed something on the walls. There were drawings, and text of several creatures. Two wolves, one wolf with two heads, a giant snake, a huge dragon, and much more. There was also a drawing of something looking like a map. Nobody understood it. After having it studied for half an hour, they went on walking. No one said something.

After another two hours Piccolo stopped walking. "This is ridiculous! We keep on walking, and walking, and walking! But we don't get anywhere! And in the meanwhile, earth might be in danger!" Nafta turned around, slowly. He stared at Piccolo for a very long time, without saying a word. "So you think we get any further if we sit down here?" Piccolo felt uneasy. He felt like Nafta's eyes had frozen him inside. "No. But..." "NO! We couldn't have saved earth by staying there. That's why we are here. Of course there is an end. Be patient and WALK!" Piccolo didn't answer, but started walking. Everybody was impressed. Normally, nobody could command Piccolo like that. "Sssht!" Vegeta was listening. I hear something. It's not too far away!" Everybody was running.

They found nothing. The sound came from water dripping. A small pool was right before them. Bulma hadn't drunk in a long while, so she ran to the water and started to drink. "Bulma, stop!" Vegeta cried, and dragged her away. On the left and right side of the pool there stood a statue of a soldier. Right behind the pool there was a door. Nafta opened it. He narrowed his eyes. A huge treasure was laying there. "It's ok. It's a treasure! Maybe we can find the things we are looking for here!" After that, he whispered "But I don't think so". Everybody walked inside. The room was huge! Vegeta looked behind him. A noise, again, and it wasn't water! "Let's get out!" Everybody looked up surprised. Bulma screamed. The soldiers were moving. They closed the door. "Hey!" Goten ran to the door and pushed, but it didn't open. It was locked. "Geez, I am surprised" Piccolo said and rolled with his eyes. Several small holes opened, and snakes came out them. Bulma yelled again and jumped into Vegeta's arms. They tried to bite everyone. More and more were coming. It became almost impossible not to get bitten. Goku was the only one not moving. The snakes didn't attack him. He hissed furiously. The snakes froze, and stared at him. Goku hissed again. He looked very angry at them. He rose, and spread his arms. He looked larger that way. The snakes fled back to their holes. After that, the holes closed. Bulma sat down. "You saved us. That form isn't that bad at all. That's why we didn't change back." Nafta examined the gold piles. "Nothing, damned. Let's go on. First, that door."  He blew it up. "Easy."

Nafta looked at the two statues. They didn't move. Nafta tried to blow them up, but they didn't even get a scratch. Nafta sighed. He put his hand on one of them and concentrated, trying to find a weak place. He started to glow, so did the statue. A few sweat drops appeared on his forehead. This thing had to have a weak place. He moved his fingers. Everybody stared at him. Nafta moaned. The stone cracked. The statue became brighter. The eyes opened, and the statue yelled. White light came from its mouth and eyes. Nafta screamed. An explosion followed. Everbody closed their eyes for the flash of light. After a minte the light was gone. Nafta held a man in his arms. The man was unconscinous. Nafta grinned. " It was a curse. But he is back to normal. He might help us here."  Nafta walked to the other statue and did the same. A woman appeared, also unconscious. The man was already waking up. "What…what am I doing here?"  "lying here, waking up." Nafta answered. He grinned. "I…see. I can hardly remember how I got here. Such a long time ago… I was searching..searching for something. Ariadne…my wife. What has happened to her?"  "The woman there?" "Yes! That's her!" Ariadne was also waking up. The man hugged her. "What are you two going to do right now?" "I don't know. Where should we go to? This is a maze. We would probabely get cursed again." "Come with us." The man and woman smiled. "Thanks. We would be glad to. My name is Boomer" Nafta gestured everyone to walk. Boomer and Ariadne got up and walked with them.

"Boomer, do you know where we should go?" "I'm sorry, I don't have a clue. I got lost here too." Anicas tapped on his shoulder and pointed to the ceiling. She smiled. A sign hang there. It was a shield with a picture of a dragon and a wolf on it. "Well, I think we are on the right way."

That day, no other signs or life forms were found. They made a camp. Nafta stayed awake to guard. Vegeta couldn't sleep. "Hey. Do you really think we can trust those people?" "You don't?" "No, I don't." " Do you trust anyone in your life?" Vegeta growled. " I have seen what trust can do." "Without it, you would be dead now." Vegeta gasped. Was he just guessing or did Kakarott tell him about his first arival on earth? "How did you know?" "You should learn to keep your thoughts to yourself. I can see them. Like you are yelling it." "What!!" "I can't help it." "Calm down Vegeta. Don't get mad." Vegeta turned around and growled. "Why do I have such an idiot as a brother?" He whispered. Nafta grinned. "Be carefull with what you are saying, Vegeta. I can hear you." "Shut up!" " shhht. Don't awake the others." Vegeta squeezed his lips. He grumbeled. Nafta was smiling. "Sleep well….brother", he grinned. Vegeta jumped up and kicked Nafta in his stomach. Nafta didn't see that coming. He yelled in pain. Vegeta smirked. "Next time, think before you say that." Several people had woken up and saw what was happening. Piccolo grabbed Vegeta's arm. "What the hell do you think you are doing, idiot!" "Mind your own business!" Nafta got up and spitted some blood. He looked at Vegeta. "You don't want me to call you like that? Well, I'm sorry for you. I might do it again. Vegeta prepared to hit again. Nafta stared at him with a very dark look. Vegeta paralyzed. His eyes bulbed out. He fell down and yelled in pain. "Don't forget, I can control every sense. If you hit me, I'll hit you back in my own way, 'brother'. The pain faded. Vegeta caughed. Nafta walked away. Everybody gazed at them. Nafta sat down, thirty meters from the rest. Vegeta got up and growled.

After ten minutes Goku slid to Nafta. Nafta was staring into nothingness. There were traces of a few tears on his cheeks. "Eh,…Nafta?" "I'm fine." "Really?" "No. Is Vegeta really always like this?" Goku sighed. "I think he is a kind of…afraid for you. That you might surpass him. Or jaleous. This is his way of reacting. Maybe he'll later learn to accept it. That's what he did with me. But it took a really long time." Nafta shook his head. "You know, I don't really now how to react on him. What to do?" Goku shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

The next morning Nafta and Vegeta didn't say a thing, and avoided each other. It made Trunks very confused too. He liked Nafta, but was afraid to show that, because of his father.

Cheva stood still. His tail trembeled. "There are beings near. I can feel it." Nafta nodded. "Let's find out what it is." The corridor lead to a large room. This room was decrorated, and plants were growing there, even small trees. On the walls were several drawings of wolves. There was even a small creek. It was quite peacefull. "We can get some water here. It looks clean. The walls moved. Very slighty, nobody noticed it. The wolves moved, and became larger. They weren't flat pictures anymore, and they stepped off the walls. A glass bubble, attached to the ceiling, started to glow. Everybody looked up. The wolves weren't hostile. They sat ten meters away from from the creek and watched everybody. Everybody looked back at them, wondering what they would want. Except for Bulma. She looked at the bubble. The wolves looked at her now. Bulma was becoming a werewolf. She barked a few times, a little scared. The other wolves barked back. Bulma smiled. They exchanged some more barks. "What the hell would they be talking about?" Trunks whispered. "Introducing themselves. The wolves say that they are the 'watchers'. They seem to concider Bulma as a 'sister'." "Sister?" Bulma wagged her tail and walked to the other wolves. "The others are werewolves too." Nafta whispered. Vegeta narrowed his eyes. As being undead, he could follow their conversation too. The wolves walked back to the wall. Bulma looked at the Vegeta and Trunks and barked. She jumped, like the others, to the wall, and became a drawing, like the rest. "Noooo!" Vegeta leapt to the wall, and broke his nose when he smashed on it. "Bulma!" The orb broke. A helm was falling on the ground. Nafta picked it up. "The first piece. In exchange for her…." He walked to the wall. "Come back. We don't want such a trade." Nothing happened. "Is she gone forgood?" Nafta touched the wall. Nothing happened. "She doesn't want to come back." "Bulma!" Vegeta grabbed the helm from Nafta and smashed it down. "Vegeta! We won't get her back by doing this! Calm down. We'll find some way." "Get away from me!" Nafta picked the helm up. It wasn't damaged. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't get bulma back, but he couldn't leave, too. He couldn't leave her here. What to do? Stay here forever? Trunks was sniffing also. Goten and Cheva tried to comfort him. They sat down and waited. After two hours Nafta got up and sighed. Everybody looked at him. "We are staying here!" Vegeta cried, even before Nafta had said something. Nafta didn't say anything. That would make Vegeta go mad. Nafta just looked at him. Veegta knew what he meant. "You can go, I stay here." Trunks was surprised, and afraid. "Dad?!" Vegeta growled. "Dad….Maybe we can go back here later…when we have the rest of the stuff…" Vegeta shook his head. "No, I stay here." "I…I think…I'm going with the rest. How should you survive? You will become weaker…" "Go with the rest. I'll be fine."  "But dad..?!!" "Go! You all, GO!" Trunks stared at him. After five minutes he slowly walked forward. When his dad wanted something, nobody could change his opinion. "Bye dead. We'll come back." Vegeta didn't answer.

The rest of the day nor Trunks or Nafta said something. When it was gatting late, they reached a portal. "Hope we'll get the rest of the stuff here. They entered another room. It was all empty, some bats were sleeping, hanging on the ceiling. Nafta noticed a small child, sitting on the floor. It was a little girl, not older as four years. She missed one foot, it was replayed by a wooden one. She almost had no hairs on her head left. Her skin was covered with burn marks. She also missed one eye. Nafta felt sorry for her. What did this to her? He tapped her on her head. "Hello child?" She didn't answer. "Please, I want some information." The girl still didn't answer. Nafta sighed. "Please." No answer. She didn't even look up. Nafta looked at what she was doing. She was drawing pumpkins with a stick in the dust on the floor. "Nice drawing. You like pumkins?" No answer. Nafta gave up. "She won't answer." The girl got up and walked away. Nafta gestured the rest to follow her. She pushed on a rock on the wall. A door slid open. She walked through it. The door closed. Nafta pushed on the rock also. The door opened again. They all walked through it. The environment had changed drastically. They were in a small town now. It looked like a town of the Amarican fifties. But there was something strange. A scent,..no a feeling of death covered the town. Nafta didn't know how to describe it. The rest also felt it. But they had to proceed here. Maybe they would find some armorpieces and answers here.