Hoshito's Odyssey
Part II
Hidden Agenda's
By:
Arthur E. King
Disclaimer: Two things. I don't own Dragonball (What do I look like Akira Toriama?) But I do own Hoshito. Try not to use him unless you ask me, okay? Other than him though, everything else here belongs to someone else, so even though I need the money, don't pay me.
Author's Note: Okay, this story is more for a very specific group of people who play the MUD Dragonball Z World. So if you don't get some of the nuances, it's either because you don't play the MUD, or you didn't read the first story. Either way, you're missing out on some good stuff, so bear with, and suffer through what you don't understand. Oh yeah, and if you ARE one of the people from the MUD, and you see your character here, I've already asked you, and you said yes, so if you think your character wouldn't do that, stuff it. Just call it literary licence, and go with it, it makes for a better story anyways, so you probably shouldn't mind. If you do, email me, and we'll duke it out there. Anyways, on to the story!
This was perhaps the single most rewarding experience of my life. Never before had I trained another. Never before had I been able to. Only a year ago I had been the one in such dire need of training, knowledge, experience. Now I was passing all that on to another, and I couldn't get over how good it felt to be so important to another being. Still it was no substitute for love, but it was enough. For now.
"Wow. You really have a knack for this stuff. And you're sure you never recieved training from any of your elders? Not Nilsom, or Morn, or even Mirak?" Even though the gravity was so low I barely felt it, I could see that Vorack was suffering under the strain.
"Never... This... is... the... first... time..." He had to pause in-between words, for his breath was being expelled at such a furious rate. I had perhaps been to hard on the boy, after all, he was only eleven. I held up my hand so that he would not continue till he had caught his wind once more, and he complied. Finally once he had regained some semblance of composure, he went on.
"How could you move so fast? You were a blurr before my eyes. It was as if you were not even trying." I couldn't help but smile at the boy. How right he was. I wasn't trying. But if I had, he wouldn't be here by now, and I didn't feel like being lonely any more.
"Don't worry. I've been doing this for longer than you've been alive. Give it time. What else have we got up here?" He took the words harshly, knowing all too well, that I had not denied his previous allegation of not even trying. Still, he was hardy, and was soon standing up straight, and daring me to try again.
I gotta admit... The kid's got spirit. Not a whole lot of brains, but he's got spirit. I took my stance, and told him to try again. His uncertain rushes at first had given away to a controlled, and cautious advance. When he first expressed a desire to train with me, I had tried to teach him as I had been taught, the very basics of martial arts, the breathing, and how to hold yourself. I had not succeeded as admirably as I might have hoped.
He tired of that rather quickly, but plowed through, and in a week, was rewarded by his first sparring lesson. He had taken to it like a fish to water though, and was soon able to put up a rather admirable defense, and occasionally throw a punch or two, when I gave him an opening. He was talented, that much was obvious, but talent was no substitution for actual experience, and I had a feeling, some might call it a premonition, that he would have that, all too soon.
A small shadow crept along the ground, silent as death. The tiny patch of pure blackness was almost imperceptibly darker than the cold hard ground. It didn't help that the clouds looming overhead blocked whatever pale light the stars and tiny sliver of moon might provide. So black the night, it was as if a great hand had reached up and plucked them from the sky, thinking such specks of light to be an obscenity.
A cool breeze wafted the faint hint of decay to the shadow, which pointedly ignored the sickly-sweet smell. It was well accustomed to such things, and would have said he enjoyed them, were it possible to feel such an emotion. No. The only feeling this thing understood, was hatred. The burning, bitter sensation of dread that followed him each morn, and filled his dreams at night.
No. There was no joy here. Only death. And that was fine by him. He lived for death, craved it. Courted it like a lover, but never gave himself wholly to it, only a piece of him at a time, until there was nothing left of him but... Death.
The pool of dank illness flowed along the ground, carrying with it this malign being. Quick, cold, silent, and efficient, this putrid waste of a man flew down the hill, across the valley floor, and in the topmost window of the tower below. Now within the confines of this place, the shadows grew thicker, almost as if they were alive. Had the shadows grown eyes, and began walking, it would not have been a surprise.
Still, they did not, they merely waited, thickening, patient till the last, and filled the air with a bright chill that seeped into the bones. The shadowy, ephemeral stuff that lay upon the stones crawled over his bare skin, sliding over his exposed flesh and leaving only a trace of oily residue, and a shiver of fear. These shadows were a thing even this evil might fear, for he was not quite dead yet.
And yet he waited. He knew not why, nor did he care. He was summoned, and would wait until his master appeared. This was his loyalty, and this was his due. This was the price he had paid for the great power he had accrued over the years. A very great deal of power it was too... And yet, when compared to his master, it was as nothing at all... A flea might pose more of a threat to his master than he would, should a flea ever think to do his master harm.
But no fear, nothing lived or moved within ten kilometres without the masters permission, and that was something he did not often give. He liked his privacy his master, which puzzled him, for why would his master summon him here? Rather than using the mental link they had established so long ago. It was a mystery, wrapped inside an enigma, and one he did not dare set his mind upon. His master would know, his master would not want his secrets revealed.
And so he sat, and waited, and pondered only the night, to keep his mind away from the desires of an immortal. He wondered why there were always clouds covering this tower, clouds so thick that even during the day, there was nearly no light. He wondered as to that charged feeling in the atmosphere that felt as if at any moment, lightening might fall from the heavens to strike down the unworthy.
He wondered upon this, and that, and a dozen other things, only to retain his focus, as the ever-present shadows made a meal of his warmth, his power, his flesh. He could feel the shadows nipping at his skin, causing great welts to rise upon him. He could feel the great coldness of this place seeping into him, seeking out the tiny bead of warmth held deep in the hidden recesses of his body.
He knew this was a test, to see just how patient, and how obedient he was. He knew that the shadows, if given enough time would tear him to shreds, tear into his very soul, until there was nothing left. He had seen the remains of those who had disappointed his master, and been forced to endure this torment, and what was left was enough to make even his gorge rise.
Still he knew that if he was patient, and truly worthy, his master would come, the shadows would recede, and he would be given a new task. If he even moved a muscle as the shadows fed from him, he would surely perish here, not only for his disobedience, but for his lack of patience. And so he held his ground, gritted his teeth, and let the shadows do what they might, and the consequences be damned. If he was to die here, it would be with at least his dignity intact, even if that was all.
Then, just as he was about to lose all hope, and give himself over completely to death, the shadows pulled back, scared into fleeing from their tasty morsel. Almost he gave thanks to his master, then remembered what His presence could do... It was almost a preferable fate to suffer death at the hands of the shadows, than to feel his masters presence for a single moment. Still, he steeled himself, and waited once more, for the command to rise.
Stand! The silent command was merciless. It gave no quarter, and brooked no failure. Even had he the will, he could never have denied his master. He had given himself to this one, and as such, was committed, and he needs must do what his master commands. He rose slowly, his legs burning from being too long idle, and the red wounds of the shadow-things, that seeped puss even now.
He stood up, rock steady, and his eyes rose with him. If he had been able to fail, his knees would have crumpled at sight of his master. But his master would not allow that, any more than he would allow the obscenity of light to enter into his domain. And so he looked upon the dried out husk of a man that was once alive.
Dead flesh still clung to old bones, the putrescence that surrounded this vile creature only worsened the feelings of dread that pervaded the room whenever he entered. At the moment, his master was in his draconic form, with the great wings and gigantic tail of a dragon, though his features remained far more like the creature he might once have been.
Worms still ate at this buffet, crawling over him, through him. Worms and bugs of every possible size, shape and description, but even they were dead. No. Not dead. Undead. In the ever-thickening greenish un-light that surrounded his masters form, he could just make out the ragged grey cloak that hung in tatters about his masters body like a pale imitation of a funeral shroud.
Still it was the eyes that had him. Within those dark, empty sockets lay two bright crimson orbs the hue of fresh, red blood. Like two glowing embers they lay within that hollow cavity of a skull and burned with a white-hot ferocity that would not be denied. It was an ancient pain that scared his features, features that might once in life, have bean considered, handsome, comely. But in death they were a but a pale imitation, a parody of life that was all the worse for it's nearly recognizable, but partially decayed body. All this, lay deep within those flame-like blood-red eyes.
Were it possible, he would have shivered, fled like a man possessed, or went stark, raving mad. But it was not possible to do such things in front of his master, he would not permit it, and so he merely stood there, awaiting his orders.
You shall bring to me the one known as Shaikoten. He has some information that is valuable to me. You shall seek him out, and bring him here, in the place where my power is strongest. Do this for me and the rewards shall be great. Fail me and you shall perish horribly. I trembled as my masters voice entered by brain, drowning out all thoughts of my own, suffocating me in his all-consuming rage.
But a word of caution. He too has been well versed in the dark arts, and is possessed of a rather great power. Be wary of this one, and do not turn your eyes from him for but a moment. He would be a worthy ally, and for you perhaps, a worthy foe. Now go, and do as I command. He turned his back upon me, and at last I could fall weeping to my knees. As the obscene presence fled my mind, I could hear his laughter still echoing within the hollow remnants of what was once my mind.
Then I took my feet, and jumped through the tiny slit in the wall, barely half a hands-breadth at the widest, that my master insisted on calling a door. As always, I was nearly crushed, and was forced to release the tiniest breath in order to pass. Risking death was so common an occurrence in my masters domain, that I thought nothing of it, even though the fear held me as always for that single brief moment of uncertainty.
Then I was through, and falling down the tower to the ground below. Almost, I didn't stop myself, but I managed, barely, to halt my descent, and flee the scene before my masters wrath was incurred once more. Hastily, I found my way to the tiny, spherical pod that I used to travel the cold emptiness of space, and set course for the planet upon which I knew I would find this "Shaikoten" My master spoke of.
Someday, he would pay for that feeling of inferiority, of helplessness, of wanton ease of my own destruction. Of course he would pay, everyone did in the end. But I never allowed myself to think those thoughts, my master would know, and kill me where I stood. Still, the thoughts were there, buried so deep I did not even know I had them, but they lay there, dormant, awaiting the moment of their release, the moment they would burst upon the scene and consume everything that stood in my path.
Even my master... Even... Lucavex.
"Harder! You can do better than that!" I was pushing him, I know, but this boy needed it. It wasn't enough that he was already standing up in ten time his normal gravity, he had to push himself harder. He was almost as driven for power as I was. Almost. Still, even though he needed this power, and forced me to teach him, I could not fathom why.
I had set my mind into figuring out this one mystery before we set down on the next planet. One way or another, before we set down again, I would have my answer. But until that time, I was content to pass on my accumulated knowledge into this willing vessel. He sure had a long ways to go before he could even hope to reach the level of Piccolo, but then again, this Vorack probably didn't even know about that one.
He still wasn't able to control his energy, but at least he was using real technique now. His blocks, and parry's were crisp, controlled, and well done. His attacks were even more-so. Even though this was a great improvement over the mindless rushes of a month before, he was holding back. He wasn't improvising, using what worked in that specific situation, he was just doing what he had been taught.
I knew he could do better, and so I kept using attacks I hadn't shown him how to defend against. I was forcing him to come up with new ways of defending himself, create his own style, but I was careful. If I moved too fast, he wouldn't see my attack in time, and could be seriously injured.
He throw a punch at me, and I retreated out of his reach, then turned the momentary retreat into an advance by swinging my hands down, catching the ground as it was hurled up at my face, then pushed off into a backwards somersault. Then on my way down, I let my legs just barely touch the floor, the pushed off again. This time, with tensed leg muscles, I was able to reverse my direction directly into Vorack's path, charging at him.
Of course, this was something he hadn't expected, seeing as I had left most of my gymnastic skills out of our sparring matches, but was barely able to take the left on his arm before the right that was aimed for his gut made contact. He doubled over, and I instantly regretted my attack. I took him in my arms, and laid him gently on the ground. "Are you okay Vorack?" There seemed to be a note of genuine concern in my voice.
It was at that moment, that I felt the knee jap into my abdomen with uncharacteristic force. Only then did I realize his ruse, and I smiled inwardly, while outwardly I made a big show of how much he hurt me, even though I barely felt it. I bent double over my 'wound' and pretended to be seriously hurt. Of course, he took the bait, and moved to attack again. Novice.
Had it been anyone else, I would have cursed him for his ignorance, but this was Vorack, my student, and he had just proved to me that he needed to learn things the hard way. So I pulled back, twisted slightly, and straightened my leg out directly into the young Nameks way. Unable to change directions in mid-air, the child fell on my leg with the full force of both of our attacks.
He fell to the orange paneled floor, hurt. Ignoring him for the moment, I walked over to the gravity device, and turned it all the way down to one. Only then did I move over to check on the kid. "Nice one kid. You managed to pull off an original little ploy. But then you turned around and fell for the same damn thing. You gotta learn to anticipate stuff like this. There are a lot of people out there who are just as powerful, but not as nice as me." A slight lie, there were only a very few warriors in the universe that were anywhere near my power, but he didn't have to know that.
His face was a mask of pain, and I knew he wasn't kidding this time. Silently, I thanked Korin for giving me the bag of sensu beans before I left. "You gonna be okay kid? I know you aren't faking this time." Surprisingly Vorack managed to stand up, I had no idea how much this must've been hurting him. Once he had regained his feet, he closed his eyes and his face took on that self-same look of pained concentration that the elder Namek Mirak, his care-giver had had on his face after I accidentally broke his hand.
Ahhh... That's why... He's trying to heal himself... Nifty little technique... Wish I could do that too. After a few moments, I could see his muscles slowly relax and the pain leave his expression. Not even three minutes later it was over, but I could tell that whatever Vorack had just done, he had used up all the reserves of energy he had. I decided to leave the beans for when we really needed them, and hoped that, that day would never come.
"Hey! Wait up! You know, I'm not quite as spry as I used to be." The words might not have been friendly but the tone was, and the person to whom they were directed knew they were jesting.
"Ha! That'll be the day... Heck I'm older than you are. I'm just not as lazy. Now get off your butt and get up here!" It was always like this with these two... Putting the other down with words, to give the image to those watching that they might be friend, but there was friction here. In truth, never had there been two such devoted comrades.
"I'm not lazy, I'm just trying not to make you feel bad when you see my true power!" The verbal sparring continued.
All the while, these two were climbing the cliff face, a sheer vertical climb of several hundred metres. Sure, they could have flown up to the plateau with hardly a thought, but that would have defeated the purpose of climbing. Not only that, but it would alert the natives to their presence here. Very few of these humans on this planet were capable of flight, and those that were jealously guarded their secrets.
However, the two making their way up the steep sides of the mountain weren't human at all, even though they sure looked the part. So they climbed, and climbed, and climbed ever higher into the rarified atmosphere high above the treetops. Actually you couldn't even see the treetops because of the swirling mist of clouds that lay between.
And as they climbed, they continued speaking. Nonsense, that's what it was... Complete and utter nonsense. At least, that's what it would have appeared to be to anyone not trained in the secret code. To these two, they were in reality, discussing strategy, weighing options, and trying to determine just what they would do once they reached the top.
It's all about appearances here. If we just showed ourselves to these puny humans, they'd try to attack us, fail miserably, and in our escape we'd probably end up killing a few of them. And that would just make things worse. After what happened here, I don't blame them either. I'd be mad at me too, if Saiyajinn warriors had practically torn my world in two.
And so they climbed. The ropes and harnesses just a ruse for those who kept eyes upon them. On the planet Kaal, there were many ways of watching someone, and the humans here were adept at all of them. Of course, the ruse had to be convincing enough to fool even the most experienced watcher, so they actually were climbing, without the support of their true powers to keep them firm.
The only snag in the plan, was when the lines tangled, and all their hopes came crashing to the ground. Literally. Well, almost literally, because the second climber miraculously managed to grab an outcropping of rock on the way down. It all happened in less than the space of a second, and yet, somehow, if you had looked close enough, you would have been given the impression that he wasn't in any real danger.
Fortunately for them though, no such observant viewers were watching. But still the damage had been done, and they were about to turn back, just to be on the safe side. But the top climber wouldn't let them, and kept going ahead anyways. Headstrong that one, he wouldn't let anyone stop him, now that he was so close to his goal.
After what seemed like an agonizing second, he crested the sheer cliff, and faced the windy corridor above with a sense of exhilaration and anticipation, for the summit was only the beginning and not the end. For a moment though, he savored this small victory, breathing in the crisp air, so rarified above the clouds. However, doing this, he had forgotten to aid his fellow climber below, and only after several minutes of his tortured pleas for assistance did the lead climber reluctantly lower himself to planting the last stake, and pulling the other man up.
Together though, the surveyed the landscape for miles around. Or at least they would have, had the clouds not been in the way. Still, it was a breathtaking sight, to see those towering mounds of billowing vapors hovering below them, as if they were on a tiny island in the middle of some great expanse of white sea.
"You know, you've probably blown our cover by that little stunt you pulled... Why couldn't you just let yourself fall?" Harsh words, but silently signaled. Even here, there were eyes watching, and the secret hand gestures were almost as expressive as the spoken voice, although they seemed more like he was brushing himself off than communicating anything constructive.
The other climber decided to answer vocally instead, risking yet again their secrecy. "You know perfectly well why I didn't do that. If I had, You would have had to come here alone, and this place is dangerous enough for our kind. I'm not about to leave you alone with that Half-breed." He spat the word, almost as if he thought it more a curse, than a name.
"Oh come on. You know perfectly well that he's no danger to me. At least not anymore. And I'm not about to go killing my own brother. You could just as easily have fallen and saved him the trouble of pushing you off in another few minutes."
"Yeah. We'll see just who gets pushed, and who does the pushing."
"Why do you always go saying stuff like that? You only antagonize the man. I know you two aren't fond of each other, but couldn't you at least be civil to one another? He's my brother for cris-sakes!"
"So? He doesn't seem to care a whit about it, and if he doesn't, why should I? And I don't have to remind you, it's HALF-Brother. As far as we're concerned, the only one who seems to think of your two as brothers is you. And all that attitude is going to get you is a knife firmly implanted between your ribs."
"You speak too harshly of Shaikoten. He's not all bad... He just lost his way, and took to the streets. He never had a real strong father figure like I did, because Dad disowned him at birth. Sure, he might've been the firstborn, but they weren't married, he wasn't even sure he was his. That human woman must've been raped by a dozen different Saiyajinn that night. My father was just the only one still alive."
"You know. He's right Brother. You probably will end up with a knife in your back. Although I would never be the one holding the handle. Too messy that." The cold voice came from behind them, and even though they had known he was approaching for quite some time, the calm serenity of the voice surprised them, slicing like ice through the thin mountain air.
The two climbers turned around slowly, as if they hadn't a care in the world, to gaze at this one who intended on using his powers openly, as he hovered there in mid-air, just a few feet out. Almost they told him to get down, but knowing he would only ignore their request, they didn't even bother.
"So... Was this meeting just for old times sake, or was there actually a reason you two fools decided to call me here?" The similarity of the two was unmistakable. Even had they not just said so, any observers watching would have known instantly that the two were related. Cousins at least. "You know, I don't have time for your silly games Durine. Speak your business and be through with it."
The one called Durine stepped back a moment, his features a mixture of disgust and pity, only to set themselves a second later into the grim mask of certainty that he seemed to always wear in the presence of anyone except his friend. "You know I wouldn't go to the trouble of sending you that message if it wasn't important. That's why you came here. Anyways, Ramza here has uncovered some information that might be of interest to you."
Shaikoten lifted his eyebrow for a moment, in a vain attempt to conceal his true interest. Although he appeared bored, he knew that whatever news was dire enough for these two to contact him, must be important. "Oh really? And why should I believe you two? How do I know you haven't sent for me, to lure me to my death? However unlikely that may seem. You two never were my match."
That was the final straw for Ramza, and he stepped forward into the path between brothers. "That's enough! We come here to try and save your life and all you can do is float there and mock us for our efforts! If it wasn't for Durine's orders, you'd be dead already in a thousand different ways!" The unveiled rage was a flame in this cold place of ice and stone.
"Ah! But the obedient pup stands up for his master. Down boy! Heel! Wouldn't want you to make a mess of the carpet now..." Shaikoten paused for a moment, then continued. "Awww... No takers? And I was so looking forward to killing you... How sad, I guess I'll have to wait for our next encounter on non-neutral grounds."
"That's enough you two... Shai. We just wanted to inform you, that our informants,"
"You mean spys?"
"Our Informants..." He stressed the word in an effort to ignore the interruption. "Have managed to pick up a message aimed for a known Syndicate hideout. It seems that someone's looking for you. A very powerful someone. And if you're not careful, you're liable to get yourself kidnapped, tortured, killed or all three." The words flowed forth from Durines blue-flecked lips in a raging torrent of disgust, and unconcealed contempt for a life now wasted.
"Ha! You think that just because some Syndicate flunky decides to pay me a visit that I should be worried?" The words were bold, but they could both see the tiny gleam of fear in Shaikoten's eyes.
It was Ramza who continued. "It's not just some flunky we're talking about. As far as we know, it's Syndicate's top man. Goes by the name of Marrec. We're not sure who he is. But so far as we can tell, NO ONE outranks him. And everyone's afraid of him. He's the only one who gives orders, even though we don't' think he's the actual brains behind the organization."
"My, my, my... Quite the impressive piece of intel... How dearly would I love to get my hands on those magnificent sources of yours... And wring their necks, the scrawny little spineless weaklings. It's cowards like that who give evil fiends a bad name. They really drop the ball on all of us..." Shaikoten seemed to have completely forgotten the news in his oblivious ravings. Still, there seemed to be an element of stress in his voice that hadn't been there before.
No one was paying attention though, least of all the two climbers, who having delivered their message had already begun repelling down the cliff face, in a long vertical descent to the bottom some two kilometres to the bottom.
"Descent procedures begun, please take your seats, and have a nice day." The cheery metallic voice came over the speakers only a few minutes after I had keyed in the sequence. Vorack was already strapped in to the auxiliary seat Dr. Briefs had installed in the case of passengers. It's a good thing too. If he hadn't, one of us wouldn't have had a seat, and that's not exactly the safest thing in the world.
I shook my head to clear it, and sat back down into the control chair, strapping myself securely into place. "You okay there Vorack?" Even if the concern was faked, at least I could give him the illusion of caring.
"Yes sir. Quite fine Mr. Hoshito." The young child's voice had grown on me like a fungus, over the last couple weeks. I don't know why, but I didn't let it bother me.
"You know, why you can't seem to just say Hoshito is beyond me. I've told you enough times now." Even the anger was faked. Just like I couldn't be happy for him, or concerned for him, I couldn't be angry at him either. But illusions were important...
Like always the little green kid didn't reply to that one, he just let his eyes fall to the ground, and grumble something under his breath. I didn't even bother to try and listen, even though I probably could have. It just didn't matter.
Finally though, a tiny shudder passed through the ship, and the computer signaled that we had touched down. With a great relief I released the buckles, and went over to help Vorack out too. Of course, by the time I got there, he was already out, so it didn't really matter much, but I felt that I should at least make the attempt.
"Well. We're here. Hopefully there will be friendly people here, and we'll be able to restock our ship and go in no time." Even false enthusiasm seemed hopeful at times, and as I opened the hatch, It almost seemed like there might just be a reason to hope.
When the hatch opened however, and I caught a glimpse of the crowd outside, my hopes started to dwindle. Then when I heard the shouted cries of "Saiyajinn go home!" And the hastily armed humans, what little remained of those hopes was smashed to pieces. I could see that they were about to get violent if I didn't lift off immediately, and as I turned my back to close the hatch, I heard something that made my blood run cold.
The laughter was evil. There really wasn't any other word for it. I could feel shivers running the length of my spine as those peals of laughter clung to me, made me feel dirty, unclean. My head turned, orienting on the sound, and saw a man hanging in the air. Like me, his features were mostly Saiyajinn, but with human ancestry. Although I had come by my Saiyajinn heritage through the Dragonballs, this was from family.
The most telling factor was the tail that wavered in the sunlight. But even without that, he still could see the Saiyajinn blood in the spiky hair, and the set of his jaw. A tiny spark of what might have been madness gleamed in his eyes, and the power that radiated from this man was unlike anything I had felt before.
On Earth, the only truly powerful beings that existed since I had gained the ability to sense energy, were all good. This was the first warrior I felt who's energy wasn't good, and it like the laughter was like some foul thing in the air, a faint whiff of decay that soured my expression at his presence.
And then I saw this man release that power I felt, and it was a horrible thing. In an instant the mob had disintegrated into chaos, with people running everywhere, what few were still capable of running. The energy that he had released was small, barely enough to kill a normal person, but I could tell that it had been carefully calculated, to have the maximum amount of terror among the survivors.
It was intended to maim, to hurt people physically, and fill their minds with fear. I knew in that instant, that he had done this before, and many times. With a light shove, I maneuvered Vorack back inside the spaceship, and flew at the laughing maniac. I had never before known a hatred so pure, an instinctual need to deprive this man of his pleasure.
With a twinge of power I sent forth a barrier to protect the innocent humans who would have lynched me a moment before. And then I set my mind upon the destruction of this evil one. Before I did so though, I made sure to appeal to his good nature, if he had any.
"Why? Hunh? Why did you just do that?!" My words were bolstered by confidence in my new found abilities.
"Because it's fun. It amuses me to destroy these insects who try and tell those stronger than they are what to do. Just like you. Which is of course why I'm going to kill you now for questioning me." Even as he spoke the words his hand had come up, and a dark glow was beginning to form around him.
I had no idea what kind of an attack he was planning, but steeled myself for combat, and took a fighting stance in mid-air. The shadowy blackness that now pulsed around his figure seemed to coalesce into a tiny ball in the palm of his hand. Then his laughter burst forth once more, and as it did he allowed the dark ball of swirling blackness to surge towards me.
I had never felt such an attack, the pure malevolence of it took my breath away. And yet, although it was intended to consume me, I held firm, and took the blast at nearly point-blank range. As the smoke cleared, and I emerged from the cloud unscathed, his laughter halted, caught in his throat.
"How were you able to survive? No one could have survived that! Who are you!"
I smiled in response, a deep, secret smile of the powerful, and made my reply. "Just call me no one then. Because I just survived your pathetically weak attack, and now I'm going to take you down."
My blood boiled in my veins, my new Saiyajinn heritage was urging me on, forcing me to face this evil man. I looked forward to it actually. I had been too long idle, and here were people I could protect. I would do everything I could to stop him before this went any further.
I readied myself, and allowed the pure energy of my body to flow down, into my hand, concentrated it, and lifted my hand as he had done just moments ago. His face betrayed not even the hint of fear, and I made ready to unleash my fury.
Just at that moment though, two bright shining points of light shot up from the ground penetrating not only the shimmering curtain of protection I had placed there, but also the defenses of the man before me. As they struck him full-force, I could hear just barely, a tiny voice seem to whisper, "Shai..." and then the man who had stood before me rocketed off into the sky, forced upwards by the two simultaneous blows of the warriors who now had joined me.
Taken aback, I almost released my blast at them instead, but managed to control myself, and stop the energy before it began it's inevitable cascade. Seeing this one of the two warriors shied away, ready to defend himself, while the other merely stood there, confident, daring me to strike.
Now finally in full control, I said the first thing that came to mind. "Who are you? Who was that? And what the heck is happening on this planet? I come here to restock my spaceship, and all of a sudden I'm getting blasted at right left and centre. What's going on!?"
The two warriors looked at each other as though confused. There seemed to be a silent communication between them, then the confident one pointed at my spaceship. "That's a Saiyajinn capsule is it not? Heavily modified I see, but it still bears their markings."
"Yes... It was based on the Saiyajinn design. But it's not really Saiyajinn. Nor am I. Not really..." My cryptic remarks only served to confuse them further, but the smaller one, who seemed to be the leader of the two, was the only one to talk.
"I do now know who you are, or where you come from, but you are extremely powerful to have survived the attack of Shaikoten, and you seem to be good, for you were protecting those people who would have attacked you only a moment before. I think we can trust you. Although we must get to a safe place to discuss such things. Would you follow us elsewhere?"
The second, taller man seemed to be at odds with his partners decision, but would follow where the other might lead. Such loyalty... I wonder what it is that inspires him... I made up my mind.
"No. I won't follow you. There is someone that still needs my protection in the ship. If you would care to join me in there, I would be glad to fly it to where ever you choose. I think it would be a good idea to have a great, and lengthy discussion. There are many things I would know."
The larger man seemed about to scoff at that, and was ready to fly off right then and there, but something in the smaller man's demeanor stopped him. The other man merely nodded lightly after a moments hesitation, and accepted my offer for the both of them. "Agreed. But we should go now, before anyone gets suspicious."
"Agreed." And with those words, I led them down into my ship. "You know the coordinates of where you wanna go?" I said this to continue the conversation as I slowly re-opened the hatch that Vorack had wisely closed.
"Yes." Simply put, and brief. I liked that.
As we entered the ship, Vorack came out to greet me, but then pulled back, and hid behind the gravity device when he saw I was with company. "Don't worry Vorack, these are some new friends." I gestured to the smaller man to indicate the control panel, and walked over to the Namek child to coax him away from his imagined safety.
"Oh by the way. My name is Hoshito, and this little green kid is Vorack." I extended my hand to the larger of the two men as the smaller was setting the ship to fly. The big man seemed to take a shine to the Namek, and grasped my hand in a friendly, but threatening manner. 'I don't know who you are, and I don't trust you, so you had better be careful.' was the message he was sending, and I was reading him loud and clear.
"I'm Durine, and the big guy over there is Ramza. We're Saiyajinn too, but it's a little bit complicated." The smaller man setting co-ordinates replied without taking his eyes from the panel. I wasn't sure about these two, but I had a good feeling about them.
"So... That guy you two just blasted... Shaikoten? MIGHT be your half-brother, and is half-Saiyajinn too. You two were trying to stop him from hurting those guilty civilians because you're the leaders of a secret Saiyajinn underground movement, that is actually trying to help these people, rather than hurt them like all the rest of the Saiyajinn. And the humans here don't trust ANY Saiyajinn and think you're all bad, so if they had a chance they'd kill you all. Do I have that right?"
The two nodded slowly, and I could tell that they were telling me the truth, even though It was surely a hard story to swallow.
"And you were born a human, but somehow managed to wish to become a Saiyajinn through these... What did you call them? Dragonballs? And are currently wandering the universe in search of fun and adventure? And this little guy is a stowaway who hopped aboard when you were restocking on supplies?" The one called Durine replied, his voice a mixture of surprise and outright disbelief.
"Hey, it's no stranger than your story."
"That's true... Although if this Shaikoten guy is so evil, then why don't you two just kill him and get it over with? I mean I know he's your brother and all, but still..."
Ramza and Durine squirmed in their seats, as if discussing this subject made them uncomfortable. It was Ramza who answered though. "It's because of only one thing... We can't. He's... The Legendary Super-Saiyajinn."
If they had been expecting surprise, they weren't about to get it. "So? You mean to tell me you can't go Super-Saiyajinn?" Being human, and since all the Saiyajinn I knew could go Super-Saiyajinn, I had no Idea just how impressive that feat truly was.
They boggled at the concept that I wasn't impressed. Ramza was completely speechless, and Durine was only marginally better. "You... You... You mean... You can?!" It seemed as if I was spouting blasphemy to them, heresy that anyone other than this could transform so.
Knowing they wouldn't believe my words, I decided something more was in order, and so I stood up, and allowed the great power within me to Shine! I could feel my hair lengthening, and straightening, pulling back into great blonde spikes. I could see their eyes bulge in their sockets as my eyes turned green. And I could see their skin pale to a whitish sheen, as mine took on a golden glow.
"As far as I know... Any Saiyajinn can become a Super-Saiyajinn. Although it's far harder for some than others." After I spoke, I allowed the energy to be released back into my body, my hair to fall gently back, into it's former black glory, and my eyes to return to the pale blue that was their natural state.
"But... The Legend states that there may be only one Super-Saiyajinn in a thousand years! How could there be two at once!" The words spewed from their mouths like partially digested food. It was almost unthinkable, this tremendous truth that had been so certain in their lives, now nothing but a crumbling wreck.
"Like I said... Anyone can do it... It's not that hard. I could probably show you if you wanted... Although it might take a while. It took me like a year. But now that I know, I might be able to get you two to do it sooner. I mean, you have way more familiarity with your bodies than I do. So it probably shouldn't take nearly as long."
They were speechless, absolutely speechless, but merely nodded their heads in acceptance. "If such a thing is possible, then we shall have it..." There was a firm conviction in Durine's voice as he spoke, and Ramza was only too proud to join him, loyal to the end.
"Well I guess that means I have two more students..."
"Curses... If those two meddling fools hadn't have attacked I would have had him. I might have had to transform... But no one can defeat me..." Shaikoten was flying off, letting his mind go through the events of the past few days. First he gets the news that someone is after him, then this new guy shows up and manages to survive his blast, and then those two imbeciles dare to strike him. HIM! The only Super Saiyajinn in existence!
"Well they won't get the drop on me next time... If I wasn't distracted by the new guy, those two would never have been able to hit me like that." He continued his ranting, oblivious to the dark power flying towards him. It hovered above Shaikoten for a moment and then attacked, plowing the half-breed ten metres into the ground.
Then Marrec flew down to grass he reached into the hole, and brought up the unconscious form of Shaikoten. "Ha! All too easy... And my Master thought you would be a challenge. You were so caught up in your own defeat that you suffered another!" Marrec's voice pierced the wind with a light cackle of deranged amusement.
"Well now we'll see just what my Master wanted from you. It's too bad he wanted you alive... I could have had so much fun torturing the information from you... Perhaps I still might... If my master will allow me that pleasure..." A wicked grin split Marrec's face in two, as he lifted off into the nigth sky, bound for his ship, and then, for home...
The familiar tiny shudder was felt once more as the ship touched down in the secluded glade that hid the base of the Saiyajinn Resistance. Then I heard a weird humming as I felt myself descend. I took a glance out the port-holes and saw to my surprise that there was a large metal corridor outside, instead of the trees I had expected.
"Landing pad... Great for secret bases like ours. Ship settles down, and in seconds, it's far beneath the earth and no one's the wiser. We even have a holographic cover, to make sure no one can come across the place accidentally." Again it was Durine that spoke. Ramza had been all but quiet since learning of my abilities. Almost as if I had offended the guy some how.
"Impressive... So is my ship your captive now or something?" I let the words slip out of my mouth with a dry sarcastic humour that they obviously didn't catch. They had been just about to defend themselves, but then they saw my wry grin, and burst into spontaneous laughter. It feels good to laugh again...
We were still laughing slightly when I entered the airlock, and opened the outside hatch. As the door slid down, providing a nice few steps, the laughter died as the imposing figure before me scowled. I couldn't quite get this one, he was hidden mostly in a cloak, and although he didn't seem to be evil, I could tell that this was not a man to take lightly. As an enemy, this one would be very dangerous... Perhaps even more than I could handle.
When the stranger in the greyish cloak spoke, it was like thunder had been captured, and made to service only him. "You've failed you know that. Marrec now has Shaikoten, and your warning was useless. Why did you ignore my advice to catch him off guard, and kill him if you had the chance?"
It was Ramza who spoke this time, in Durine's defense it seemed. The big man hardly spoke a word, but when he did, it was calm, and self-assured. There was a quiet strength about this one, and his voice was a reflection of that. "We didn't have the chance. Besides, if we had, Shaikoten would have killed us, and then there would have been no one who could do your work for you old man. Besides. He's Durine's brother. It's not in either of us to kill him."
"And another thing... We did happen to find this guy. Hoshito. He can go Super Saiyajinn just like Shaikoten. And he's going to teach us how. Then we'll be able to take out anyone."
"Fools!" This cloaked figure's wrath was a palpable force. Even without the power that lay behind it, the anger alone was enough to make men cower. But there was something else to it... An element of fear, that tasted all the more bitter for his apparent helplessness. Man... Whatever could make THIS GUY feel helplessness and fear, has GOT to be something bad...
"Now that Marrec has Shaikoten in his grasp, there's no telling what might happen. We need to find out just who wanted Shaikoten, and why. It couldn't be just Marrec... There's got to be more to this. They need Shaikoten alive, otherwise they would have killed him. They needed something only he could provide. But what? Well at least we should have some time. They're going to need to make that half-breed talk, and he's going to be a tough nut to crack."
My ears pricked up at that, and I quivered in fear. The Prophecy! Could this have something to do with... But no... This was just a coincidence... He couldn't be talking about the same thing... No...
"What is going on? And what does Shaikoten have to do with any of it? And if they want something from Shaikoten why should we care if they kill him?" That was Ramza speaking again... Even he could feel the changes, and was striving to understand everything. It seemed that he was rapidly losing any control over the situation, and that was something he wouldn't allow to happen.
"It is with dark tidings that I meet this day. It might be that Marrec is after something far more insidious, and powerful than he can possibly comprehend. We must move carefully... But do not wait too long... When things start happening, they'll go quickly, so we must be ready for anything." With those words, the strange cloaked man turned about, his cloak billowing around him, and as I made to ask him his name, he was gone.
Durine turned to Ramza and me, obviously used to this strangers disappearing act. "I don't know who he thinks he is... Trying to order me around. I have never taken an order in my life, and I am not about to start now." There was a quiet burning hidden behind his eyes... All the more intense for it's secrecy.
"Still. He's never been wrong yet... There's gotta be more to this than meets the eye. But until we know more, we can't act." Ramza's advice was good, as usual, but everyone here knew that Durine was the decision-maker.
"I think the best thing we can do right now is wait. And while we're waiting... Why don't we see if you two can achieve the greatest power of the Saiyajinn race. Hunh?" My words seemed to diffuse the situation, and the tension oozed back to where it had come from.
All three of them looked to me, but it was Durine once more who answered for them. "Yes... Lets..."