Chapter 3: The Student of Tsurusennin
The Atropos mountain range was located to the north of Enma Daiou's Check-In station, and ran in an almost constant line for over 3,000 miles across the land. It served as barrier, of sorts, separating the Sepulchrave Peninsula from the windswept Platignom Plains. Reaching heights of well over 6,000 feet, this natural boundary usually tended to discourage travel between the two regions.
Today, however, two distinctive travellers could be seen making their way up the treacherous slopes.
Bardock sneezed.
"What's up?", Fionn enquired from his position several metres ahead of him.
"Nothing", came the reply. "It's just so damn dusty around here. Cold too. You'd think this guy could have chosen a more hospitable training area."
A bitter wind chose that precise moment to kick up.
Bardock sneezed again.
"Crap".
"Nice one," Fionn jibed. "A mighty Saiya-jin warrior laid low by some bad weather".
"I'm glad you find it so amusing. I'm freezing my ass off over here."
"Maybe you should transform, eh? Then at least you'll have a fur coat to keep you warm..."
Bardock muttered an incomprehensible string of profanities from behind him. Fionn grinned and shook his head. Saiya-jin swear words never ceased to amuse him.
Bardock rubbed his hands together in an effort to keep them warm.
"This guy better be worth it after all the trouble we've gone through. He better be able to help us find Kakarotto..."
Fionn turned and stared at him. "I don't know why you insist on calling him that. We don't even know for sure if this Goku is your son or not."
"No question about it", Bardock stated flatly. "Kakarotto was dispatched to Earth barely an hour before Vegita-Sei was destroyed. There's no way any other Saiya-jin could or would have been sent to that particular planet."
"Fair enough," Fionn conceded, before turning and continuing up the slope. "Anyway, from what Enma Daiou told me, this Tenshinhan has known Son Goku since he was a child. There's a good chance he'll be able to point us in the right direction."
They walked in silence for what seemed to be hours, wandering aimlessly around the mazelike mountain paths in an attempt to find some trace of then man they were looking for. Their search ultimately proved fruitless, until Bardock called over the howl of the wind for Fionn to stop.
"Hey", he shouted, pointing his finger at the same time. "What exactly do you think that is?"
Fionn followed the line of Bardock's finger until his eyes met with what appeared to be a solid stone wall. It took him a moment to realise that what interested Bardock was not the wall itself, rather what was reflecting upon it. It had caught the light from some unknown source, which flickered and danced over it's surface like a whirling dervish. It looked somewhat like a small explosion, or...
"A fire?", Fionn said disbelievingly.
"It can't be", Bardock agreed. "A fire wouldn't last 5 seconds in this wind".
The two took flight and moved closer to the wall in question. Only when they got within a few metres of the flickering light, did they realise exactly where the source was coming from. There was a massive gorge at the base of the wall, almost entirely hidden from view by some strategically placed boulders; the entrance was next to invisible from any further than several feet away. As they stared down, they realised that it was indeed a fire that had caused the flickering, but it was located at the very bottom of the gorge.
Bardock turned to Fionn.
"Could be him".
"Let's check it out".
As soon as they began to descend into the yawning expanse of the seemingly bottomless valley, it became apparent just why a fire was able to survive despite the hostile weather conditions. The gorge was given heavy protection on either side by two massive limestone walls, which staunchly refused to let any of the bitter wind inside the large crevice. Bardock and Fionn also noticed that the temperature rose significantly, possibly because of the fact that Eregal, Atropos' main peak, had once been an active volcano. As a result, several hotsprings were dotted across the face of the mountain. Fionn had a feeling that the reason for the gorge's high temperature was that there was a dormat geothermic vent in the area. Not the most settling of thoughts, by any means, but it at least it beat the cold.
The gorge itself was quite deep, and it took at least a minute to reach the bottom. It was worth it, however, for on the surface they found both the fire which had drawn them to the spot, and the man who had become the target of their search- the Student of Tsurusennin, Tenshinhan.
He was sitting cross-legged by the fire with his eyes, all 3 of them, closed, his peaceful and serene demeanour contrasting greatly with the raging environment which surrounded him. It didn't last. Sensing their approach, he leapt to his feet in anticipation of an attack. He was exactly as Enma Daiou had described him, a powerfully built warrior with a scar running the length of his chest. He also looked far from happy at being disturbed during what had obviously been a period of relaxation.
His manner was such that Fionn actually thought the man was going to take the initiative and launch an offensive before they even reached the bottom, and so he immediately struck a fighting pose of his own, ready to counter any possible oncoming threat; no matter how intense.
The seconds passed, and still neither fighter moved a muscle as they stared at each other with ferocious intensity, almost as if each warrior were daring the other to attack.
It took Fionn a moment to realise that Tenshinhan was not actually staring at him...but at Bardock, who was simply hovering calmly beside him with his arms folded across his chest.
Fionn found it strange that the Terran had had taken his eyes off him, the obvious aggressor, in favour of someone who clearly posed no immediate threat. He found it even more incredible, however, when Tenshinhan lowered his arms and dropped his guard completely.
"What the hell?", Fionn thought to himself. "What is this look in his eyes? It can't be...recognition, can it?"
Tenshinhan's gaze lingered on Bardock, and he spoke for the first time since the three met.
"It can't be. You look just like..."
His stern demeanour returned, and he brandished his fist wildly in the air.
"Who the hell are you!? Tell me now!"
Bardock lowered himself to the ground, maintaining eye contact with Tenshinhan all the way. As soon as he made contact with the valley floor, he walked slowly towards him, until he was eye to eye with the agitated fighter.
"My name is Bardock- the father of Son Goku."
The Atropos mountain range was located to the north of Enma Daiou's Check-In station, and ran in an almost constant line for over 3,000 miles across the land. It served as barrier, of sorts, separating the Sepulchrave Peninsula from the windswept Platignom Plains. Reaching heights of well over 6,000 feet, this natural boundary usually tended to discourage travel between the two regions.
Today, however, two distinctive travellers could be seen making their way up the treacherous slopes.
Bardock sneezed.
"What's up?", Fionn enquired from his position several metres ahead of him.
"Nothing", came the reply. "It's just so damn dusty around here. Cold too. You'd think this guy could have chosen a more hospitable training area."
A bitter wind chose that precise moment to kick up.
Bardock sneezed again.
"Crap".
"Nice one," Fionn jibed. "A mighty Saiya-jin warrior laid low by some bad weather".
"I'm glad you find it so amusing. I'm freezing my ass off over here."
"Maybe you should transform, eh? Then at least you'll have a fur coat to keep you warm..."
Bardock muttered an incomprehensible string of profanities from behind him. Fionn grinned and shook his head. Saiya-jin swear words never ceased to amuse him.
Bardock rubbed his hands together in an effort to keep them warm.
"This guy better be worth it after all the trouble we've gone through. He better be able to help us find Kakarotto..."
Fionn turned and stared at him. "I don't know why you insist on calling him that. We don't even know for sure if this Goku is your son or not."
"No question about it", Bardock stated flatly. "Kakarotto was dispatched to Earth barely an hour before Vegita-Sei was destroyed. There's no way any other Saiya-jin could or would have been sent to that particular planet."
"Fair enough," Fionn conceded, before turning and continuing up the slope. "Anyway, from what Enma Daiou told me, this Tenshinhan has known Son Goku since he was a child. There's a good chance he'll be able to point us in the right direction."
They walked in silence for what seemed to be hours, wandering aimlessly around the mazelike mountain paths in an attempt to find some trace of then man they were looking for. Their search ultimately proved fruitless, until Bardock called over the howl of the wind for Fionn to stop.
"Hey", he shouted, pointing his finger at the same time. "What exactly do you think that is?"
Fionn followed the line of Bardock's finger until his eyes met with what appeared to be a solid stone wall. It took him a moment to realise that what interested Bardock was not the wall itself, rather what was reflecting upon it. It had caught the light from some unknown source, which flickered and danced over it's surface like a whirling dervish. It looked somewhat like a small explosion, or...
"A fire?", Fionn said disbelievingly.
"It can't be", Bardock agreed. "A fire wouldn't last 5 seconds in this wind".
The two took flight and moved closer to the wall in question. Only when they got within a few metres of the flickering light, did they realise exactly where the source was coming from. There was a massive gorge at the base of the wall, almost entirely hidden from view by some strategically placed boulders; the entrance was next to invisible from any further than several feet away. As they stared down, they realised that it was indeed a fire that had caused the flickering, but it was located at the very bottom of the gorge.
Bardock turned to Fionn.
"Could be him".
"Let's check it out".
As soon as they began to descend into the yawning expanse of the seemingly bottomless valley, it became apparent just why a fire was able to survive despite the hostile weather conditions. The gorge was given heavy protection on either side by two massive limestone walls, which staunchly refused to let any of the bitter wind inside the large crevice. Bardock and Fionn also noticed that the temperature rose significantly, possibly because of the fact that Eregal, Atropos' main peak, had once been an active volcano. As a result, several hotsprings were dotted across the face of the mountain. Fionn had a feeling that the reason for the gorge's high temperature was that there was a dormat geothermic vent in the area. Not the most settling of thoughts, by any means, but it at least it beat the cold.
The gorge itself was quite deep, and it took at least a minute to reach the bottom. It was worth it, however, for on the surface they found both the fire which had drawn them to the spot, and the man who had become the target of their search- the Student of Tsurusennin, Tenshinhan.
He was sitting cross-legged by the fire with his eyes, all 3 of them, closed, his peaceful and serene demeanour contrasting greatly with the raging environment which surrounded him. It didn't last. Sensing their approach, he leapt to his feet in anticipation of an attack. He was exactly as Enma Daiou had described him, a powerfully built warrior with a scar running the length of his chest. He also looked far from happy at being disturbed during what had obviously been a period of relaxation.
His manner was such that Fionn actually thought the man was going to take the initiative and launch an offensive before they even reached the bottom, and so he immediately struck a fighting pose of his own, ready to counter any possible oncoming threat; no matter how intense.
The seconds passed, and still neither fighter moved a muscle as they stared at each other with ferocious intensity, almost as if each warrior were daring the other to attack.
It took Fionn a moment to realise that Tenshinhan was not actually staring at him...but at Bardock, who was simply hovering calmly beside him with his arms folded across his chest.
Fionn found it strange that the Terran had had taken his eyes off him, the obvious aggressor, in favour of someone who clearly posed no immediate threat. He found it even more incredible, however, when Tenshinhan lowered his arms and dropped his guard completely.
"What the hell?", Fionn thought to himself. "What is this look in his eyes? It can't be...recognition, can it?"
Tenshinhan's gaze lingered on Bardock, and he spoke for the first time since the three met.
"It can't be. You look just like..."
His stern demeanour returned, and he brandished his fist wildly in the air.
"Who the hell are you!? Tell me now!"
Bardock lowered himself to the ground, maintaining eye contact with Tenshinhan all the way. As soon as he made contact with the valley floor, he walked slowly towards him, until he was eye to eye with the agitated fighter.
"My name is Bardock- the father of Son Goku."