Chapter Sixty-Seven: They're Back!
Raditz-Oozaru growled and grinned, as he shoved his large, apelike hand into the cave to reach for Tayla (he recognized her because of her scent). Shalila swiftly cut off the tip of his index finger with her sword. Raditz-Oozaru howled in pain, as he took a swipe at Shalila. Dirkan fired his Tri-Power attack at Raditz-Oozaru, hitting him in the face, burning his red eye. Raditz-Oozaru roared in fury.
"Tayla, take Petalia and get as far into these caverns as you can!" Shalila ordered. "Take care of her!"
"Right!" Tayla told her, as she grabbed Petalia's arm. The two girls leapt off of the ground and swiftly flew into the frosty cavern air towards a large cave, where they sailed into. The girls glided further and further into the cave, leaving Shalila and Dirkan to face Raditz-Oozaru on their own.
Tayla and Petalia finally had landed on the stone, dirty ground, and the girls decided to run for now. Their delicate feet galloped along the ground with the grace of thoroughbred horses. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop went the slippered and booted feet of Tayla and Petalia.
The girls found a small pocket in the cave where they had been running in. Tayla settled Petalia down on the dirty floor of the cavern behind a stalagmite. Petalia, who did not like getting herself dirty, despaired when she saw that her beautiful lacy ivory caftan and sea-foam green sash were torn, tattered, and very dirty. The ivory cloth was so filthy now, that the ivory had faded to a dingy shade of beige. Half of the lovely, shimmering sash had been ripped, and it was now threadbare.
"My clothes," she moaned softly, for she was a clotheshorse and somewhat vain. "This was my favorite dress and sash! Curse Alberm and Reccor; if those fools hadn't abducted Caline and I, my clothes would have never been ruined, and I would have never been in this situation! This is the first time that I've noticed!"
Tayla wisely decided not to tell her that it was unusual for her not to notice her clothing. Petalia had always been extremely dressy and showy, although she wore almost anything that she put on well. Petalia loved fine clothes and luxurious, rich fabrics, and normally if a garment so much had a tear or a seam missing, she would not wear it again. And Kami Orchida forbid if a garment had a stain! Petalia never went anywhere without seeing that she was dressed well and had her makeup perfectly applied. Yet very few criticized her for it, for Petalia was a sharp dresser and excellent with makeup. She was always giving the other girls makeovers, and she thought that Tayla would be a little prettier, if she wore a bit more makeup.
Tayla liked to dress well too, but she was not as showy or as dressy as Petalia was. At that time, Tayla had been a more casual dresser than some of her dressier peers, and she was just discovering the art of wearing fancy clothes and makeup on a regular basis. As long as the garments involved were in her favorite colors, and they were clean, comfortable, and coordinated, Tayla was satisfied. And when she was training or sparring, fancy clothes were unnecessary; all she needed were her reliable gray boots, red and gold fighting uniform, and of course, her sword. A week or two could go by before Tayla would put on a spot of makeup, and at her age, she did not need it much anyway. Up until now, she had only really dressed up in Petalia's style when there was a party or a ball. Tayla had been dressing more stylishly after arriving on Calmag because she was a guest and also to attract Ridikar's attention. She had learned most of her makeup tips from Petalia and Lelina, who was also dressier than Tayla, but less so than Petalia. Gracina had taught her how to style her hair so that she would look more like a young lady instead of a tomboy.
Now her red and gold uniform was threadbare, tattered and as dirty as Petalia's clothes were. There was a small hole in the toe of her left gray boot, and Tayla sighed, as she looked at the numerous patches on her boots, for she loved that pair because they were comfortable. She had stubbornly refused to throw them out despite Nama and Gracina's protests about her wearing patched boots. Nama had put her foot down after the Cobbling Laborers back on Astoria had patched the last tear in Tayla's right boot, telling Tayla sternly that if she received another tear, hole, or gash in her favorite boots, Nama would incinerate them with a ki blast so that Tayla could not wear them anymore.
"I don't know which is more stubborn," Nama had sighed to her after the last time the Cobbling Laborers had finished repairing Tayla's boots, "you or your boots."
Shalila had been after her to replace her training boots for some time, and she had threatened several times to reduce Tayla's old boots to ashes. Tayla had seen the stern expression on her grandmother's face the last time that she had made that threat, and she knew that her Nama meant it this time. If they survived this battle, Tayla was certain that her gray boots would be the final casualty, if Nama had her way. Tayla knew (thanks to Veal's excellent hearing abilities) that Shalila had planned to dispose of Tayla's old boots before the battle, but Tayla had put them on and left before Shalila could force her to surrender her favorite pair to Shalila's ki blast.
She idly wiggled her toe that poked out from her gray boot. Perhaps Nama was right this time; time to kiss the pair goodbye if and when this war ended. Then she sat up straight, remembering that Nama and Dirkan were fighting Raditz-Oozaru. She turned to Petalia, who was holding the folds of her once-intact sash. "Petalia, you stay here until I come back."
"Where are you going?" Petalia wailed. "I don't want to be here by myself!"
"I know that you don't," Tayla told her softly. "But I can't let Nama and Dirkan fight that mean giant monkey by themselves."
"Great-Nama and Dirkan have fought many an Oozaru by themselves," Petalia pointed out to her shakily. "This one can't be much stronger. Tayla, I don't mean to be a coward, but I don't want to be alone, and I can't fight like the rest of you can."
"I know," Tayla said gently. "That's why you must stay here. I can't sit here idling away while Nama and Dirkan fight for our lives. You should be okay here; I promise that I will be back as soon as I can."
But before Tayla could leave, they heard a deep Oozaru-like roar outside. Suddenly, a giant, apelike fist crashed through the wall of the cave.
"AHHHH!" Petalia screamed in terror.
Tayla's body began to tremble, as she reached for her sword. She cried to Petalia, "Run! Get out of here!"
"I can't let you deal with that-that thing by yourself!" Petalia protested, even though she knew that she would be of no use to Tayla.
"It's not a thing," Tayla told her in a trembling voice. "It's Bendros."
"Bendros?" Petalia asked, puzzled. "How can that ape be him?"
"He's part Saiyan, remember," Tayla told her. "But you have to go, 'Talia, 'cause he won't recognize us while he's like this. I have to fight him and get close enough to cut off his tail. Go!"
A terrified Petalia fled down the corridors, praying quickly for Tayla's safety. Oh, weren't they safe anywhere?
"Bendros!" Tayla cried in vain, as Bendros-Oozaru angrily roared at her and tried to grab her. "It's me, Tayla! Princess Tayla Chloe of Astoria! Little Tayla, remember? I'm your friend!"
Bendros-Oozaru did not respond, except by seizing Tayla in his giant hand. Tayla screamed, still trying to reason with her crush. "Bendros don't hurt me please! It's Tayla! Bajal's little sister!"
Bendros opened his mouth, preparing to pop Tayla into his mouth.
"No!" Tayla cried, as Bendros brought her closer to his sharp, Oozaru-like teeth. She was doomed; she had failed to reason with him. She would wind up as Bendros' next snack.
She closed her eyes and huddled into herself, as Bendros pulled her to the lips of his crater-sized mouth. The tears flowed swiftly down her cheeks; she had not wanted to die this way.
"No," she whispered tearfully, "please."
At that moment, something large, slimy and wet brushed against her body, coating her in a thick film of sticky saliva. Tayla whimpered, as her whole body shook violently.
Everything was suddenly wet, so wet and dark…
Shalila and Dirkan continued to fight Raditz-Oozaru, and then Dirkan hatched a plan to "cut Raditz down to size". Dirkan decided that he would distract Raditz-Oozaru while Shalila fled from the cave to cut off his tail.
Dirkan started firing ki blasts at Raditz-Oozaru and breaking stalactites from the ceiling and throwing them like javelins at Raditz-Oozaru. Raditz-Oozaru was too distracted to notice Shalila slipping past his face to reach the outside.
Shalila swiftly flew outdoors, and suddenly it was so warm and humid! Where had the snow and hail gone? Ice and snow patches throughout the city and countryside were melting away, as if the sun itself were resting on Calmagian soil. The sky was clear, with no traces of clouds. Diamonique's spell must have worn off. She could hear the water rushing down the mountains and the loud drips of melting icicles, as the snow dissolved. A gentle summery breeze was the only wind that could be felt, and it was perfumed and refreshing in the suddenly humid air.
Shalila was relieved to be fighting in warm weather again. While Raditz-Oozaru was trying to grab Dirkan in the cavern, she hid her ki and slid down gracefully towards Raditz-Oozaru's tail. She raised her sword into the air with both hands, and with a quick movement, she neatly sliced off Raditz-Oozaru's tail. Raditz-Oozaru screamed, as his body began to shrink, but before he could finish shrinking, his foot slipped on a patch of ice, causing him to fall backwards towards Shalila. His body crashed down towards her, faster than Shalila could flee, as she was directly in his backward path…
…"Stop it, Bendros, I'm going to drown, if you keep doing that!"
Tayla's screams had transformed into laughter, as Bendros-Oozaru repeatedly licked her body, like a gigantic Earth hound dog licking a bone. Bendros-Oozaru's rough tongue was tickling her. He had put Tayla down, and she was now backed up against the wall, her only opponent now being Bendros persistent tongue, which felt like a large sloppy-wet piece of stuffed sandpaper. Bendros stroked her soaked hair gently with his right hand index finger. The giant Oozaru had torn a whole in the ceiling of the cavern, and Tayla could feel the hot, humid air flowing in. It was so bright and sunshiny, and the bright glow hurt Tayla's eyes. Bendros-Oozaru was panting like an excited puppy that had found his favorite toy or treat.
"Silly Bendros!" Tayla laughed again; he reminded her now of her dog, Hugs, whom Tayla had to leave behind on Chloe. Bendros-Oozaru torn away more of the cavern ceiling with his giant hands, so that he could fit his head and arms inside the cave.
His index finger was tickling her body, as it accidentally stroked her torso and a small, budding breast. Tayla tried to stop laughing, but she couldn't. Well, she would rather be tickled and licked than devoured.
Petalia came running towards her, with a giant stick, and the pretty Astorian princess's ivory jaw dropped when she saw Bendros-Oozaru fervently licking Tayla's body and tickling her.
Petalia abruptly dropped the stick that she had been planning to use as a weapon at her feet. "T-Tayla, are you okay?"
Tayla shrieked happily, "Yes, Petalia, I am! Bendros recognizes me! I don't know how, but he recognizes me! I thought that he was going to eat me, but he didn't! It's okay now, Petalia, really!"
Petalia was uncertain, but then Bendros-Oozaru noticed her as well. He looked at Tayla's niece thoughtfully, and then he brought a finger towards her white-gold hair. Petalia shook with fear, but Tayla told her gently, "He won't hurt you now, Petalia, for I think that he recognizes you too."
Bendros-Oozaru gently touched Petalia's cheek with the tip of his giant index finger. He grunted something, and then he turned his face from her. He went back to petting Tayla with the same finger that he had used to touch Petalia. Petalia heaved a sigh of relief, relief that she was alive, and relief that she was no longer the center of Bendros-Oozaru's attention.
"Bendros, you recognize us!" Tayla cried excitedly, as she boldly went up to Bendros-Oozaru and hugged his face with her small arms. To Petalia's shock, she kissed Bendros-Oozaru between his nostrils, which were each, the size of Tayla's head. Bendros-Oozaru' warm breath emitted from his nostrils and mouth, engulfing her with a rich, pungent smell.
"What have you been eating?" Tayla wanted to know, wrinkling her own button nose at the strong smells coming from his breath.
Bendros-Oozaru moaned, and Tayla sighed. "I sure hope that no people were your meals, and if they were, that they were only enemies." She patted his nose companionably.
Suddenly, Tayla had an idea. She said to Bendros-Oozaru, "Bendros, can you help us? Raditz is an Oozaru too, and he's fighting Nama and Dirkan. Can you stop him?" Bendros-Oozaru growled, and then he nodded his titanic head. He held out the palm of his hand, and then he looked at Petalia.
"I think that he wants us to climb onto the palm of his hand. He's going to give us a lift," Tayla told Petalia casually.
Petalia shuddered. "Are you sure that's safe? How do we know that he won't pop us into his mouth?" She had never seen an Oozaru in real life before she had come to Calmag.
Bendros-Oozaru groaned, as Tayla jumped onto the palm of his hand without fear. Tayla held out her tiny hand to Petalia and said,
"Petalia, it's okay, really. He won't hurt us. I promise you, Seven Moons Oath!" She held up seven fingers to seal it.
Reluctantly, Petalia slowly approached Tayla and Bendros-Oozaru's ominous hand. She let Tayla guide her onto Bendros-Oozaru's palm. Petalia clung to Tayla, as Bendros-Oozaru gently lifted his passengers out of the cave into the gleaming sunshine…
"SHALILA!" Dirkan screamed in horror.
He had seen Raditz-Oozaru's body fall down towards Shalila before she could escape, and now Raditz was back in his normal Saiyan form, lying on his back on the wet grass. Shalila was lying beneath him, her back pressed against his.
Raditz leapt to his feet in fury, and Shalila struggled to hers.
Shalila raised her sword again, preparing to fight Raditz when suddenly Raditz pulled out a small silver gun. He aimed it at her.
Shalila laughed arrogantly, trying to cover up her nervousness. "What is that thing for?"
Raditz shot the gun at her, and a bolt of light surrounded her slender wrist. Before Shalila could react, Raditz shot another bolt of light at her wrist. The light bolts hardened into golden cuffs. Shalila felt her ki drain drastically.
"Restraining cuffs," Raditz told her proudly, with a savage grin. "They cut your ki by more than half, Shalila. We originally brought them for your darling little Tayla, but as you can see, they work on almost anyone. Heh, even the weakest of our forces could control you now. I'm going to make you pay, old woman, for what you and your people did to us Saiyans!" Raditz opened up his hands to fire a ki blast that would surely cripple Shalila, if not kill her.
But before Raditz could act, Dirkan swooped down from the air and grabbed the longhaired Saiyan from behind with his right arm, wrapping it around Raditz's neck. He used his free fist to punch Raditz hard in his stomach, crushing through his armor, breaking ribs and metal. Raditz struggled against Dirkan's grip.
"Dirkan, look out!" Shalila cried. "That gun that he has can shoot restraining cuffs!"
Dirkan took care of that situation real quick. Before Raditz could stop him, he snatched the gun from Raditz's loose hand and threw it to the ground. While he was struggling with the Saiyan warrior, the Namek warrior shot the gun with a fast ki blast, burning it to ashes.
"You'll pay for that!" Raditz snarled, shooting Dirkan a look that could destroy Calmag itself.
Dirkan grinned wickedly. "Say Gooden Boden, monkey!" He raised his hands to prepare for a Tri-Force attack, but before he could launch it upon Raditz, something shot him in the back of his neck. To Dirkan's horror, the shot formed a golden metal band that had been burning to the touch when it had been in liquid form. The collar around his neck cooled quickly after forming into a strong metal band, but the band cut Dirkan's ki by more than half.
"What in Orchida's name just happened?" he growled. And then he knew.
"Curse you, Queen Frost! Even though you're dead, you still manage to cause trouble!" he hissed under his breath. The collar had come from a collaring gun, an original invention of Queen Frost's that Frieza and his forces had been using for many years.
He swiftly turned around and saw a grinning Prince Vegeta and another Saiyan, a female one with the uncharacteristic red hair of a small minority of female Saiyans. Vegeta was dragging Dedron by his ankle, with Dedron's body on the ground. Dedron had restraining cuffs on his wrists, and so did Rojal, whose wrist was being held by Journa. Journa was dragging Rojal behind her.
"I knew that I was right to bring a collaring gun," Vegeta said with an evil grin to the female Saiyan. "The collaring gun has no effect on Astorians; our people have learned that in the past, so the cuffing guns were designed by Queen Frost specifically for them. The cuffing guns would not have worked on other races, so this nice old-fashioned collaring gun came in handy for Shalila's darling Namek. Too bad, Lord Frieza hasn't had any new ones produced in a long time; I was lucky to be able to procure this one. It pays to have connections in Technical."
"Look at them!" the female Saiyan scoffed. "And these two are supposed to be among the strongest warriors in the galaxy! Pathetic!"
Dirkan growled, and Shalila clenched her fists. They were outmatched now and outnumbered, and both of them knew it.
"Cuffing guns!" Shalila hissed. "And collaring guns! Curse Queen Frost! Her evil lives on long after that whore is dead!"
Vegeta said wickedly, as he raised his hands to launch a Big Bang attack on Shalila and Dirkan, "Any last words before I send you to the next dimension? Any words telling us where your precious Tayla is?"
Dirkan rashly drew his sword and began to charge at Vegeta, but before he could do so, a giant, cold shadow fell over the group. He stopped dead in his tracks, and he and the others looked up to see
Bendros-Oozaru towering over them, beating his chest with one fist. Petalia was sitting on his shoulder fearfully, and Tayla was sitting on Bendros-Oozaru's folded palm, which was folded like a chair.
She called out to Vegeta, "If you want me, monkey prince, come and get me!"
"Tayla Chloe!" Dirkan and Shalila exclaimed, both in fear for her life and anger at her rashness.
Vegeta grinned. "Very well, brat, I'll accept your challenge. Journa,
Raditz, dispose of the rest of the garbage down here. I'll deal with the loudmouthed brat myself." He flew into the air, not at all worried about Bendros-Oozaru.
Tayla stood up in Bendros-Oozaru's hand and waited. She was going to end this conflict between her and Vegeta once and for all.
Raditz-Oozaru growled and grinned, as he shoved his large, apelike hand into the cave to reach for Tayla (he recognized her because of her scent). Shalila swiftly cut off the tip of his index finger with her sword. Raditz-Oozaru howled in pain, as he took a swipe at Shalila. Dirkan fired his Tri-Power attack at Raditz-Oozaru, hitting him in the face, burning his red eye. Raditz-Oozaru roared in fury.
"Tayla, take Petalia and get as far into these caverns as you can!" Shalila ordered. "Take care of her!"
"Right!" Tayla told her, as she grabbed Petalia's arm. The two girls leapt off of the ground and swiftly flew into the frosty cavern air towards a large cave, where they sailed into. The girls glided further and further into the cave, leaving Shalila and Dirkan to face Raditz-Oozaru on their own.
Tayla and Petalia finally had landed on the stone, dirty ground, and the girls decided to run for now. Their delicate feet galloped along the ground with the grace of thoroughbred horses. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop went the slippered and booted feet of Tayla and Petalia.
The girls found a small pocket in the cave where they had been running in. Tayla settled Petalia down on the dirty floor of the cavern behind a stalagmite. Petalia, who did not like getting herself dirty, despaired when she saw that her beautiful lacy ivory caftan and sea-foam green sash were torn, tattered, and very dirty. The ivory cloth was so filthy now, that the ivory had faded to a dingy shade of beige. Half of the lovely, shimmering sash had been ripped, and it was now threadbare.
"My clothes," she moaned softly, for she was a clotheshorse and somewhat vain. "This was my favorite dress and sash! Curse Alberm and Reccor; if those fools hadn't abducted Caline and I, my clothes would have never been ruined, and I would have never been in this situation! This is the first time that I've noticed!"
Tayla wisely decided not to tell her that it was unusual for her not to notice her clothing. Petalia had always been extremely dressy and showy, although she wore almost anything that she put on well. Petalia loved fine clothes and luxurious, rich fabrics, and normally if a garment so much had a tear or a seam missing, she would not wear it again. And Kami Orchida forbid if a garment had a stain! Petalia never went anywhere without seeing that she was dressed well and had her makeup perfectly applied. Yet very few criticized her for it, for Petalia was a sharp dresser and excellent with makeup. She was always giving the other girls makeovers, and she thought that Tayla would be a little prettier, if she wore a bit more makeup.
Tayla liked to dress well too, but she was not as showy or as dressy as Petalia was. At that time, Tayla had been a more casual dresser than some of her dressier peers, and she was just discovering the art of wearing fancy clothes and makeup on a regular basis. As long as the garments involved were in her favorite colors, and they were clean, comfortable, and coordinated, Tayla was satisfied. And when she was training or sparring, fancy clothes were unnecessary; all she needed were her reliable gray boots, red and gold fighting uniform, and of course, her sword. A week or two could go by before Tayla would put on a spot of makeup, and at her age, she did not need it much anyway. Up until now, she had only really dressed up in Petalia's style when there was a party or a ball. Tayla had been dressing more stylishly after arriving on Calmag because she was a guest and also to attract Ridikar's attention. She had learned most of her makeup tips from Petalia and Lelina, who was also dressier than Tayla, but less so than Petalia. Gracina had taught her how to style her hair so that she would look more like a young lady instead of a tomboy.
Now her red and gold uniform was threadbare, tattered and as dirty as Petalia's clothes were. There was a small hole in the toe of her left gray boot, and Tayla sighed, as she looked at the numerous patches on her boots, for she loved that pair because they were comfortable. She had stubbornly refused to throw them out despite Nama and Gracina's protests about her wearing patched boots. Nama had put her foot down after the Cobbling Laborers back on Astoria had patched the last tear in Tayla's right boot, telling Tayla sternly that if she received another tear, hole, or gash in her favorite boots, Nama would incinerate them with a ki blast so that Tayla could not wear them anymore.
"I don't know which is more stubborn," Nama had sighed to her after the last time the Cobbling Laborers had finished repairing Tayla's boots, "you or your boots."
Shalila had been after her to replace her training boots for some time, and she had threatened several times to reduce Tayla's old boots to ashes. Tayla had seen the stern expression on her grandmother's face the last time that she had made that threat, and she knew that her Nama meant it this time. If they survived this battle, Tayla was certain that her gray boots would be the final casualty, if Nama had her way. Tayla knew (thanks to Veal's excellent hearing abilities) that Shalila had planned to dispose of Tayla's old boots before the battle, but Tayla had put them on and left before Shalila could force her to surrender her favorite pair to Shalila's ki blast.
She idly wiggled her toe that poked out from her gray boot. Perhaps Nama was right this time; time to kiss the pair goodbye if and when this war ended. Then she sat up straight, remembering that Nama and Dirkan were fighting Raditz-Oozaru. She turned to Petalia, who was holding the folds of her once-intact sash. "Petalia, you stay here until I come back."
"Where are you going?" Petalia wailed. "I don't want to be here by myself!"
"I know that you don't," Tayla told her softly. "But I can't let Nama and Dirkan fight that mean giant monkey by themselves."
"Great-Nama and Dirkan have fought many an Oozaru by themselves," Petalia pointed out to her shakily. "This one can't be much stronger. Tayla, I don't mean to be a coward, but I don't want to be alone, and I can't fight like the rest of you can."
"I know," Tayla said gently. "That's why you must stay here. I can't sit here idling away while Nama and Dirkan fight for our lives. You should be okay here; I promise that I will be back as soon as I can."
But before Tayla could leave, they heard a deep Oozaru-like roar outside. Suddenly, a giant, apelike fist crashed through the wall of the cave.
"AHHHH!" Petalia screamed in terror.
Tayla's body began to tremble, as she reached for her sword. She cried to Petalia, "Run! Get out of here!"
"I can't let you deal with that-that thing by yourself!" Petalia protested, even though she knew that she would be of no use to Tayla.
"It's not a thing," Tayla told her in a trembling voice. "It's Bendros."
"Bendros?" Petalia asked, puzzled. "How can that ape be him?"
"He's part Saiyan, remember," Tayla told her. "But you have to go, 'Talia, 'cause he won't recognize us while he's like this. I have to fight him and get close enough to cut off his tail. Go!"
A terrified Petalia fled down the corridors, praying quickly for Tayla's safety. Oh, weren't they safe anywhere?
"Bendros!" Tayla cried in vain, as Bendros-Oozaru angrily roared at her and tried to grab her. "It's me, Tayla! Princess Tayla Chloe of Astoria! Little Tayla, remember? I'm your friend!"
Bendros-Oozaru did not respond, except by seizing Tayla in his giant hand. Tayla screamed, still trying to reason with her crush. "Bendros don't hurt me please! It's Tayla! Bajal's little sister!"
Bendros opened his mouth, preparing to pop Tayla into his mouth.
"No!" Tayla cried, as Bendros brought her closer to his sharp, Oozaru-like teeth. She was doomed; she had failed to reason with him. She would wind up as Bendros' next snack.
She closed her eyes and huddled into herself, as Bendros pulled her to the lips of his crater-sized mouth. The tears flowed swiftly down her cheeks; she had not wanted to die this way.
"No," she whispered tearfully, "please."
At that moment, something large, slimy and wet brushed against her body, coating her in a thick film of sticky saliva. Tayla whimpered, as her whole body shook violently.
Everything was suddenly wet, so wet and dark…
Shalila and Dirkan continued to fight Raditz-Oozaru, and then Dirkan hatched a plan to "cut Raditz down to size". Dirkan decided that he would distract Raditz-Oozaru while Shalila fled from the cave to cut off his tail.
Dirkan started firing ki blasts at Raditz-Oozaru and breaking stalactites from the ceiling and throwing them like javelins at Raditz-Oozaru. Raditz-Oozaru was too distracted to notice Shalila slipping past his face to reach the outside.
Shalila swiftly flew outdoors, and suddenly it was so warm and humid! Where had the snow and hail gone? Ice and snow patches throughout the city and countryside were melting away, as if the sun itself were resting on Calmagian soil. The sky was clear, with no traces of clouds. Diamonique's spell must have worn off. She could hear the water rushing down the mountains and the loud drips of melting icicles, as the snow dissolved. A gentle summery breeze was the only wind that could be felt, and it was perfumed and refreshing in the suddenly humid air.
Shalila was relieved to be fighting in warm weather again. While Raditz-Oozaru was trying to grab Dirkan in the cavern, she hid her ki and slid down gracefully towards Raditz-Oozaru's tail. She raised her sword into the air with both hands, and with a quick movement, she neatly sliced off Raditz-Oozaru's tail. Raditz-Oozaru screamed, as his body began to shrink, but before he could finish shrinking, his foot slipped on a patch of ice, causing him to fall backwards towards Shalila. His body crashed down towards her, faster than Shalila could flee, as she was directly in his backward path…
…"Stop it, Bendros, I'm going to drown, if you keep doing that!"
Tayla's screams had transformed into laughter, as Bendros-Oozaru repeatedly licked her body, like a gigantic Earth hound dog licking a bone. Bendros-Oozaru's rough tongue was tickling her. He had put Tayla down, and she was now backed up against the wall, her only opponent now being Bendros persistent tongue, which felt like a large sloppy-wet piece of stuffed sandpaper. Bendros stroked her soaked hair gently with his right hand index finger. The giant Oozaru had torn a whole in the ceiling of the cavern, and Tayla could feel the hot, humid air flowing in. It was so bright and sunshiny, and the bright glow hurt Tayla's eyes. Bendros-Oozaru was panting like an excited puppy that had found his favorite toy or treat.
"Silly Bendros!" Tayla laughed again; he reminded her now of her dog, Hugs, whom Tayla had to leave behind on Chloe. Bendros-Oozaru torn away more of the cavern ceiling with his giant hands, so that he could fit his head and arms inside the cave.
His index finger was tickling her body, as it accidentally stroked her torso and a small, budding breast. Tayla tried to stop laughing, but she couldn't. Well, she would rather be tickled and licked than devoured.
Petalia came running towards her, with a giant stick, and the pretty Astorian princess's ivory jaw dropped when she saw Bendros-Oozaru fervently licking Tayla's body and tickling her.
Petalia abruptly dropped the stick that she had been planning to use as a weapon at her feet. "T-Tayla, are you okay?"
Tayla shrieked happily, "Yes, Petalia, I am! Bendros recognizes me! I don't know how, but he recognizes me! I thought that he was going to eat me, but he didn't! It's okay now, Petalia, really!"
Petalia was uncertain, but then Bendros-Oozaru noticed her as well. He looked at Tayla's niece thoughtfully, and then he brought a finger towards her white-gold hair. Petalia shook with fear, but Tayla told her gently, "He won't hurt you now, Petalia, for I think that he recognizes you too."
Bendros-Oozaru gently touched Petalia's cheek with the tip of his giant index finger. He grunted something, and then he turned his face from her. He went back to petting Tayla with the same finger that he had used to touch Petalia. Petalia heaved a sigh of relief, relief that she was alive, and relief that she was no longer the center of Bendros-Oozaru's attention.
"Bendros, you recognize us!" Tayla cried excitedly, as she boldly went up to Bendros-Oozaru and hugged his face with her small arms. To Petalia's shock, she kissed Bendros-Oozaru between his nostrils, which were each, the size of Tayla's head. Bendros-Oozaru' warm breath emitted from his nostrils and mouth, engulfing her with a rich, pungent smell.
"What have you been eating?" Tayla wanted to know, wrinkling her own button nose at the strong smells coming from his breath.
Bendros-Oozaru moaned, and Tayla sighed. "I sure hope that no people were your meals, and if they were, that they were only enemies." She patted his nose companionably.
Suddenly, Tayla had an idea. She said to Bendros-Oozaru, "Bendros, can you help us? Raditz is an Oozaru too, and he's fighting Nama and Dirkan. Can you stop him?" Bendros-Oozaru growled, and then he nodded his titanic head. He held out the palm of his hand, and then he looked at Petalia.
"I think that he wants us to climb onto the palm of his hand. He's going to give us a lift," Tayla told Petalia casually.
Petalia shuddered. "Are you sure that's safe? How do we know that he won't pop us into his mouth?" She had never seen an Oozaru in real life before she had come to Calmag.
Bendros-Oozaru groaned, as Tayla jumped onto the palm of his hand without fear. Tayla held out her tiny hand to Petalia and said,
"Petalia, it's okay, really. He won't hurt us. I promise you, Seven Moons Oath!" She held up seven fingers to seal it.
Reluctantly, Petalia slowly approached Tayla and Bendros-Oozaru's ominous hand. She let Tayla guide her onto Bendros-Oozaru's palm. Petalia clung to Tayla, as Bendros-Oozaru gently lifted his passengers out of the cave into the gleaming sunshine…
"SHALILA!" Dirkan screamed in horror.
He had seen Raditz-Oozaru's body fall down towards Shalila before she could escape, and now Raditz was back in his normal Saiyan form, lying on his back on the wet grass. Shalila was lying beneath him, her back pressed against his.
Raditz leapt to his feet in fury, and Shalila struggled to hers.
Shalila raised her sword again, preparing to fight Raditz when suddenly Raditz pulled out a small silver gun. He aimed it at her.
Shalila laughed arrogantly, trying to cover up her nervousness. "What is that thing for?"
Raditz shot the gun at her, and a bolt of light surrounded her slender wrist. Before Shalila could react, Raditz shot another bolt of light at her wrist. The light bolts hardened into golden cuffs. Shalila felt her ki drain drastically.
"Restraining cuffs," Raditz told her proudly, with a savage grin. "They cut your ki by more than half, Shalila. We originally brought them for your darling little Tayla, but as you can see, they work on almost anyone. Heh, even the weakest of our forces could control you now. I'm going to make you pay, old woman, for what you and your people did to us Saiyans!" Raditz opened up his hands to fire a ki blast that would surely cripple Shalila, if not kill her.
But before Raditz could act, Dirkan swooped down from the air and grabbed the longhaired Saiyan from behind with his right arm, wrapping it around Raditz's neck. He used his free fist to punch Raditz hard in his stomach, crushing through his armor, breaking ribs and metal. Raditz struggled against Dirkan's grip.
"Dirkan, look out!" Shalila cried. "That gun that he has can shoot restraining cuffs!"
Dirkan took care of that situation real quick. Before Raditz could stop him, he snatched the gun from Raditz's loose hand and threw it to the ground. While he was struggling with the Saiyan warrior, the Namek warrior shot the gun with a fast ki blast, burning it to ashes.
"You'll pay for that!" Raditz snarled, shooting Dirkan a look that could destroy Calmag itself.
Dirkan grinned wickedly. "Say Gooden Boden, monkey!" He raised his hands to prepare for a Tri-Force attack, but before he could launch it upon Raditz, something shot him in the back of his neck. To Dirkan's horror, the shot formed a golden metal band that had been burning to the touch when it had been in liquid form. The collar around his neck cooled quickly after forming into a strong metal band, but the band cut Dirkan's ki by more than half.
"What in Orchida's name just happened?" he growled. And then he knew.
"Curse you, Queen Frost! Even though you're dead, you still manage to cause trouble!" he hissed under his breath. The collar had come from a collaring gun, an original invention of Queen Frost's that Frieza and his forces had been using for many years.
He swiftly turned around and saw a grinning Prince Vegeta and another Saiyan, a female one with the uncharacteristic red hair of a small minority of female Saiyans. Vegeta was dragging Dedron by his ankle, with Dedron's body on the ground. Dedron had restraining cuffs on his wrists, and so did Rojal, whose wrist was being held by Journa. Journa was dragging Rojal behind her.
"I knew that I was right to bring a collaring gun," Vegeta said with an evil grin to the female Saiyan. "The collaring gun has no effect on Astorians; our people have learned that in the past, so the cuffing guns were designed by Queen Frost specifically for them. The cuffing guns would not have worked on other races, so this nice old-fashioned collaring gun came in handy for Shalila's darling Namek. Too bad, Lord Frieza hasn't had any new ones produced in a long time; I was lucky to be able to procure this one. It pays to have connections in Technical."
"Look at them!" the female Saiyan scoffed. "And these two are supposed to be among the strongest warriors in the galaxy! Pathetic!"
Dirkan growled, and Shalila clenched her fists. They were outmatched now and outnumbered, and both of them knew it.
"Cuffing guns!" Shalila hissed. "And collaring guns! Curse Queen Frost! Her evil lives on long after that whore is dead!"
Vegeta said wickedly, as he raised his hands to launch a Big Bang attack on Shalila and Dirkan, "Any last words before I send you to the next dimension? Any words telling us where your precious Tayla is?"
Dirkan rashly drew his sword and began to charge at Vegeta, but before he could do so, a giant, cold shadow fell over the group. He stopped dead in his tracks, and he and the others looked up to see
Bendros-Oozaru towering over them, beating his chest with one fist. Petalia was sitting on his shoulder fearfully, and Tayla was sitting on Bendros-Oozaru's folded palm, which was folded like a chair.
She called out to Vegeta, "If you want me, monkey prince, come and get me!"
"Tayla Chloe!" Dirkan and Shalila exclaimed, both in fear for her life and anger at her rashness.
Vegeta grinned. "Very well, brat, I'll accept your challenge. Journa,
Raditz, dispose of the rest of the garbage down here. I'll deal with the loudmouthed brat myself." He flew into the air, not at all worried about Bendros-Oozaru.
Tayla stood up in Bendros-Oozaru's hand and waited. She was going to end this conflict between her and Vegeta once and for all.
