While they were walking Nafta became more and more insecure. Was he really the one who had to get the pieces? How many more had to die? Goku could saw Nafta's expression of doubts on his face. "It'sss not your fault. No one isss to blame here, exssept Ssseditiossusss. You can not doubt yourssself now. We all can't. We need to be firm now, even desspite our losssess." While saying the last words, Goku's voice fainted. A tear rolled over his cheek. Nafta rmebered Cheva's last words. 'Find the armor and remember me'. He would do it. He would complete the quest. There was too much at stake now to let go.

Piccolo moved his ears. "Sounds. Nearby. Sound like wind. Maybe there's another portal nearby, or an outway." Everybody followed Piccolo. After a few minutes, Boomer yelled at them. "There it is!" Everybody looked. It was strange, twisted. A part of the cave wall looked like it was made of liquid, and moving slowly. It was transperant. Behinf the wall, they could see a dark forrest, and a house, on a hill top. Ariadne smiled. "I bet the next pieces are in the house there." Nafta nodded. "Only one way to find out. Let's go."

They stepped through the portal. After everybody had gone through it, it closed. Nobody cared. Piccolo was surprised. "You know, this exactly looks like the forest where I found Vegeta and Bulma. Would it be the same place?" Nafta shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." "Hmmm. I'm quite sure of it." "Let's get to the house. Maybe there will be some answers there, but I think we'll only get more new questions."

It took about an hour to reach the house. The large doors were open already. Boomer knocked on the door, but nobody answered. "Hello?" No answer. "Let's get inside."

The house was a maze. Behind every door there was a corridor or a chamber with several other doors. Ariadne shivered. "Geez, what a creepy place." "Silence, please." Nafta closed his eyes and concentrated. Was there any life force in this place anyway? There was definitely SOMETHING in here. But it had no life force. It…it had even less life force than a stone, a life force below zero. Undead. "Follow me. I have found something."

He only had to open two doors before they found it. In an empty chamber, a dark figure was standing, with his head bowed. Because of the lack of light here, they could see his features. He soflty growled when everybody entered the chamber. "The prevous owner of this place died because of an intruder" He said with a very low, cold, inhuman voice. "Sorry, but we have no intention to kill you. We came to look for armor pieces, and a sword." "What? Aaaah, it's YOU!" "Huh?" Nafta's eyes got used to the darkness. He could see the man's features now. "Vegeta! How did you get here?" "By instinct." A large wolf was sitting behind vegeta. It was wagging with its tail. Trunks cheered and ran to Vegeta. "Dad! Mom! You are fine!" Goku faintly smiled. Nafta just narrowed his eyes. "What is it Nafta? You don't seem happy. Still that fight with Veegta that's bothering you?" Ariadne asked. "No…." Vegeta smiled at Trunks. "Vegeta, you are smiling like a old wolf that has just killed its prey, and knows it's time to eat." Everybody stared at him. "Nafta! Shut the hell up!" Boomer yelled. "Why? It's true."  Vegeta hissed low. "He is right. Shut up." Nafta stared at him. He held something in his hand. He streched his arm towards Vegeta and opened his hand. An amulet laid in the palm of his hand. Vegeta growled and stepped back. "What are you doing?" "You are not Vegeta, you are just an evil shadow of him." Vegeta didn't react, just stared. "What do you feel now Vegeta?" Everybody was surprised by the odd question. "I am happy, if you really want to know."

*Happy, as a wolf, who just killed a deer and is going to eat it.*  Vegeta could feel that thought of Nafta penetrate his mind. He curled his lips into a small thin smile. *You can say whatver you want.* The wolf howled. Some bats flew through the chamber. "I think it's better when we get out of here. This is a dangerous place." Nafta said. "Why? I stayed here for a while, and I can say this place isn't dangerous." "That remark wasn't meant for you Vegeta." Vegeta leapt forward, grabbed Nafta's neck and lifted him. Nafta stared at him. Vegeta growled low. "Wait!" Trunks stepped forward. "I know you don't like each other, but stop THIS! We must coöperate now." Vegeta dropped Nafta and snorted. Nafta charged up and shot. Trunks yelled and goku tried to block it. He failed. But Nafta didn't aim for Vegeta, like everybody suspected. He blew a hole in the wall. Sunlight penetrated the room. Vegeta yelled, and tried to cover his face. Trunks was shocked. "How dare you!" He knocked Nafta right in his stomach. Nafta didn't even move. He grabbed Trunks' arm and threw him to the other side of the chamber. Vegeta ran to the corridor. No sunlight there. He removed his hands from his face. He was all burned. "Look at what you have done!" Goku yelled. Vegeta moaned. His eyes became deep red. His skin healed in a matter of seconds, but he looked much thinner now, and his skin was very pale. "You…will…pay…for..that." "You don't even have the strength to." Vegeta shook his head. "Others will do the job. But I must thank you for one thing; for stretching time. Without that my servants couldn't even come here." While Vegeta said that, several owls already flew through the hole in the wall. Ariadne cried out in fear. "Shut up, stupid woman! That's just a start!" Other creatures, thing they had never heard of, let alone see or experienced, walked, slid, flied and walked in the room and corridor. The owled covered the hole with their wings, to stop the sunlight. Something, that didn't even look like anything anyone had ever seen before, with a slimy skin and claws everwhere, pressed Trunks against the wall. "DAD!" The wolf howled happily. Nobody could help Trunks, the entire room seemed to be filed with creatures. They just couldn't reach him.Vegeta leapt to Trunks. The creature moved away. Trunks saw that Vegeta had two fangs. "Dad?" Vegeta grabbed Trunks neck and opened his mouth. Trunks tried to push him away, but he couldn't. Vegeta screamed. Trunks smelled burned flesh. Vegeta pushed Trunks away and turned around. Nafta stood right after him, with an empty bottle in his hand. "Ooops. Seems you don't like water." Vegeta roared when Nafta pushed him amulet right on his temple, leaving a burn mark. Vegeta stepped back. All the creatures stopped at that moment. They turned around, gazing at Nafta. The next second, they all bursted into roaring, shrieking, howling, screaming, and attacked Nafta at once. Nafta yelled. The creatures stopped again. Two people tried to influence their minds at once. None of them knew what to do. At that moment, Nafta felt his mind collapse. He didn't know where it came from, but he lost control. Goku, Piccolo and Trunks attacked them.

The wolf came in action. She grabbed Piccolo's neck. Piccolo screamed in pain and tried to grab it. He got the wolf, but when he dragged it away its teeth tore his neck. Piccolo yelled again. Blood streamt down his neck, over his chest. The wolf atacked him again, biting his leg. Piccolo tried to shrug it off.

Goku curled his tail around Vegeta's ankle and lifted him. Vegeta bowed his head and bit Goku's tail. Goku yelled and let him go. Vegeta whiped off some blood from his lips. He looked at the creatures attacking the group. He was content. Nafta and Trunks phased SSJ. It didn't help. Everytime they crushed a creature, two more came to replace it. Piccolo was losing more blood. He fell on the ground. The wolf was tearing meat from his leg and ate it. Piccolo didn't even have the energy to yell.

After having watched the battle for a while, Vegeta wanted to do something himself. He walked forward. All the creatures moved away, clearing his path. Vegeta grabbed Trunks' neck. "My time." Trunks struggled, but the cold grip paralyzed him. Nafta casted a destucto disc. It cut several creatures into pieces before it reached Vegeta. Vegeta caught it. He didn't even get a cut. He threw it back. Nafta bended. The disc hit the wall of owls. Some of them flew away, allowing the sunlight to penetrate the room. It wasn't enough to damage Vegeta severely. He just got a few little burn marks. He didn't even care. Vegeta looked victorious. Nafta placed his hands on his forehead. Time to use the little technique he learned a short time ago. "SOLARFLARE!" A shar, bright light filled the room. Vegeta yelled in pain. His body started to smoke. Blood streamed over his face. He fel down. The creatures shrieked and left the room, now their master was dying. The wolf howled, but didn't leave, like the other creatures did. It seemed to be furious and attacked Nafta. Nafta didn't expect that attack. The wolf threw him on the ground. Trunks dragged it off him. "NO! Don't do that! Please!" Tears were in his eyes. For the first time, the wolf spoke. "You traitor! You betrayed your own blood! You are a stain of our family!" She attacked. Trunks quickly charged a Ki-blast and shot. It hit. Despite it was a weak one, it was neough to kill her. Trunks was silent for a minute. He couldn't believe such a small blast killed her. That wasn't his purpose. Some tears ran down his face. Nafta put his hand on his shoulder. He felt the same.

They looked at Goku. His tail looked a little strange, swollen. He looked a little paler. Goku smiled and waved. "I'm fine." Boomer and Ariadne were sitting at Piccolo's corpse. They picked it up and carried it outside. There they buried him, and Vegeta and Bulma too. It was dark already. They made a camp.

Truns woke up early before the sun hadn't rosen yet. Goku was sitting on the edge of a cliff near, watching the horizon. Trunks sat down nect to him. "Hey, how do you feel, Trunksss?" "Not very well." "I underssstand." "Trunks…wake the other pleassse.." "It's very early. Why?" "I want them to be awake before dawn." "Eh…ok."

Trunks did so. It took a little while, Boomer wasn't exactly a 'light' sleeper. When Nafta heard that Goku wanted that before sundawn, he was shocked and ran to Goku.

"It's the wound on your tail, isn't it?" "Yesss." "And you just want to wait here for dawn?" "Otherwisssse my ssssoul will become corrupted. I don't want to risssk that." Nafta sat down next to him. "I just wish I could do something. I was able to heal my wounds, but I can't heal yours. I can't lift the curse." "It'sss ok." "No, it's not! You're going to die!" Nafta yelled this so loud, everybody could hear it. "He's gonna what? No, you can't do that!" "I'm sssorry, but I have no choicsse."

The first beams of sunlight became visible. "Pleasssse…Ssstay here for a while." "Of course we won't leave you now." Nafta said. "I was just thinking about Csshi-csshi and Gohan. I'm leaving again…. I feel ssso sssorry for them." Goku wept a little. More sunlight was coming. Goku looked at it. "The lassst time I will ssseee thisss. Pleasse tell Csshi-csshi and Gohan I am sssorry and that I love them."

The sun rose. Everybody watched. He didn't smoke and burn, like the others did. He sighed deeply and fell apart, into ashes.   

(*sob sob*)