Chapter 12: The Son Rises in the East.
"How much longer is this going to take?" Bardock muttered grumpily. "He's been in there for over an hour now..."
"For the last time, calm down," Fionn said from his vantage point across the makeshift road. "He won't take any longer than necessary."
Tenshinhan agreed with a silent nod of his own.
All 3 warriors were presently sitting outside the massive iron door to the Check-In station, as they waited fitfully for Piccolo to finish his business with Enma Daiou. As Bardock had said, it had been quite a while since the two had started talking, and the line of souls waiting to be judged was steadily building up. Even the ogres were getting irritated...
One of them shot a vengeful glance over at the trio, as if it was their fault that his job had suddenly become a lot more stressful. Bardock noticed this...
"What the hell are you looking at?" he growled.
The harsh look on the ogre's face suddenly changed into something which closely resembled fear, and he quickly jerked his eyes away from the Saiya-jin's unforgiving glare.
Bardock returned his attention to his comrades.
"Tenshinhan," he said. "You've know Piccolo better than any of us, and I'm sure you've realised that he's far from keen on bringing us to this place where he believes the dragonballs are. Is there anything you could think of that would scare him so much?"
Tenshinhan raised his head and smiled.
"Nothing scares Piccolo. Let's just say that he's slightly wary about revisiting wherever it is we're going, and I must admit that I'm quite anxious myself. Anything that bothers him..." he jerked his thumb towards the Check-In station "deserves to be approached with caution."
Fionn and Bardock nodded in agreement.
It was at that exact moment that the massive iron door swung aside, and Piccolo strode out with a small, dark bag in his hand.
Just before the door closed itself again, Bardock caught a brief glimpse of Enma Daiou's face. He seemed extremely apprehensive as well.
"Wonderful", Bardock thought to himself. "Just where the hell are we going?"
All three of them rose to greet the Namek, who quickly tucked the small bag he carried into his belt. He reached up and affixed his turban, which had apparently become dislodged from its perch on top of his head. That done, he stated...
"We're ready. Let's go."
"Wait a minute," Bardock enquired. "What are those?" He pointed to the bag Piccolo had brought out with him.
"These..." He looked down. "...are a gift from Enma Daiou. Just a few Pitharos seeds he's been keeping if ever an emergency arose up here. He thought that we might need them."
Bardock grimaced, remembering the decidedly unpleasant side effects he had previously experienced after ingesting a Pitharos.
"I think I'll avoid having to take them unless absolutely necessary."
"That would probably be best," Tenshinhan said. "Saiya-jin physiology doesn't seem to be able to tolerate them. Just try and stay out of trouble, if that's too much to ask..."
Bardock smirked, then placed his hand on Tenshinhan's shoulder.
"What exactly should I look for?" Tenshinhan queried, two fingers raised to touch his forehead. "And just remember that we mightn't arrive exactly where we want."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Piccolo said. "There are more than enough sentient beings in the area, so no matter who you lock on to, we'll arrive near enough to our target.
He turned and pointed behind him.
"We're heading that way, to the far East. Try and find a Namekian ki around 50,000 miles in that direction."
For the next few moments, Tenshinhan was the picture of intense concentration, as he focused all his willpower on searching the land for the required ki.
A look of intense surprise crossed his face.
"Unbelievable," he whispered in awe. "I've found a Namekian ki, but..."
Bardock and Fionn stared at him in curiosity, while it seemed that Piccolo already knew fine what Tenshinhan was going to say next.
"Piccolo...there, there must be thousands of them."
Piccolo nodded.
"Hundreds of thousands, actually. That means you've got the right area, so go ahead and transport us there."
"But...why?" Tenshinhan stuttered. "Why have they all gathered there in one place?
"You'll see when we get there," Piccolo replied. "Now go."
The landscape suddenly melted away from before the eyes of the four warriors, and when it finally returned to normal several seconds later, they found themselves standing near the head of a small outcrop of rock, thousands of miles away from their previous location.
Bardock, Fionn and Piccolo removed their hands from Tenshinhan, and began to peruse their surroundings.
The particular rocky outcropping that they had landed on was about 200 metres up, on the side of a particularly modest mountain. Far below them, a pristine meadow carpeted the floor of a valley, formed by two enormous peaks, but that was not what caught their attention...
Namekian dwellings stretched along the valley floor as far as even Fionn's eyesight could determine, and Bardock realised that Piccolo was not exaggerating when he said that hundreds of thousands of his species occupied this area. If anything, he had underestimated their numbers...
The areas around the dwellings were bustling with life, all Namekian, from what they could determine. The valley itself was massive, yet it was completely occupied by these comparatively tiny creatures.
He turned to face Piccolo.
"Something you forgot to mention about this place?"
"Not really. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's slightly unusual considering that you weren't exactly delighted at the prospect of coming here, and now that we find that it's populated by enough Nameks to fill your planet a hundred times over."
"C'mon, you have to admit that this is far from normal," Fionn said. "Individual races hardly ever colonise areas like this, and certainly not on such a grand scale. Is there a reason why so many Nameks are attracted to this area?"
"There is, but so far, no one has ever been able to figure out why. For as far back as records have been kept in the afterlife, members of the Namekian race have been drawn to this place, or so I've been told. Some think that the spiritual energy which maintains the afterlife is particularly abundant in this area, and that it acts almost as a homing beacon for races sensitive to such things."
Bardock and Fionn stared blankly.
"And," Piccolo continued. "Since Nameks are more sensitive to the affairs of spirit energy than others, it makes sense that an area like this would be an attraction for them."
"So Nameks are sensitive to spirit energy?" Bardock said. "I never knew that..."
Piccolo stared at him curiously.
"Do you think it's just a coincidence that we're the only race able to create and control dragonballs?"
"Hmmm," Bardock conceded. "Makes sense, I suppose."
"Hold on," Fionn interjected. "If this area has been attracting Nameks for millions of years, how come you haven't felt the need to travel here in all the time you've been in the afterlife?"
Piccolo frowned, making Fionn feel distinctly uncomfortable.
"I have felt the urge. Many times, but I've always been able to resist it, largely because my duties in Hell have always taken precedence over everything else."
He paused, and stared morosely down at the village below him.
"But the main reason I've never felt an overwhelming urge is because I'm quite different from every other Namek down there. I've been killed, I've fused twice, and even the circumstances surrounding my birth were unusual. I feel it would be extremely naïve of me to think of myself as an ordinary Namek after everything that's happened to me over the years."
"You say that like it's a bad thing..." Fionn said.
Piccolo didn't answer. No one pressed the matter.
"So tell me," Bardock asked, in a none-to subtle bid to change the subject. "What's this place called?"
Piccolo raised his head slowly.
"Sitar. Named by the warrior who established it over 4 millennia ago."
"And this is where you think the dragonballs are?" Fionn asked, scratching his head uncomfortably. "I can't say I'm looking forward to searching all those huts..."
"Not here," Piccolo replied. "There."
He pointed straight ahead of them, right to the other side of the immense valley in which Sitar was located. There lay a brobdignian mountain so high it passed the clouds, and so wide it's corners could not be seen by any of the four warriors. Unnaturally dark shadows lay interwoven across it's undulating face, randomly cut with unfathomably deep chasms. This was Gháur, the main peak in the Thrandúil mountain range.
"There?" Fionn muttered. "A few huts would be a welcome prospect compared to searching that thing."
"Searching it will be the least of our problems. Fell creatures inhabit Gháur's dark recesses. Creatures far older than anything you've ever encountered in the afterlife before."
Bardock stared at him.
"You said that you'd been here once before. If it really is such a dangerous place, then why did you risk it?"
"Because I didn't know it at the time, and it was not Gháur that I visited. This mountain range stretches for many leagues across the land, and throughout my travels I accidentally stumbled upon them in a place far from here. The creatures which inhabit them are not natural, and were it not for those Nameks down below, they would most likely be infesting the entire expanse of the afterlife by now."
"The Nameks?" Fionn said. "They repel them?"
"Not now, but many thousands of years ago, when the Nameks first attempted to colonise this area. They came into conflict with a race known as the Sé, natives of the Thrandúil mountains. The Sé are a malevolent race of demons, as old as the Kaio's, and much more powerful, with a blinding hatred for all other forms of life. For 3,000 years, the two races fought a tireless, bloody war against each other for control of this area, losing countless souls in the process. Eventually, the Nameks emerged victorious, and drove the Sé back into the depths of Thrandúil, forbidding them ever to set foot outside the range again."
Bardock nodded in acknowledgment.
"And the Nameks' continued presence in this area acts as a deterrent in case they ever decide to leave. I can see why they wouldn't be happy if we started browsing around their mountain."
"It shouldn't be too difficult to avoid them," Piccolo continued. "As long as we stay in the light, we'll be fine. The Sé despise it, and they tend to stick to the shaded areas of the mountain. But we must always keep our wits about us, for the shadows on Gháur have a life of their own, roving around intermittently, and the Sé move like the wind. They could be upon us in a second if we accidentally stumbled into a darkened area."
Bardock looked up at the sky.
"Where exactly does the shadow come from? There aren't any clouds that I can see..."
"No one knows," Piccolo replied. "Some say that the mountain itself creates them..."
"Wonderful", Fionn muttered. "Well, shall we go?"
"One last thing," Piccolo stated. "Bardock, tell me, have you had any visions lately?"
Bardock stared at the Namek in curiosity. Now that he actually thought about it, he hadn't experienced a vision in quite a while, not since the fight with Conoracha.
"No, why?"
"When we arrive on Gháur, be prepared. The energy which flows around this area is also found in many regions in the Living World. On Namek, for example. That's why I believe the dragonballs have traveled to this area- to seek familiar energy to aid their recuperation. But there are other places as well, such as on one planet in particular which you should be more than familiar with..."
Bardock felt sick. He already knew what planet Piccolo was talking about...
"Kanassa-Sei..."
He felt Fionn shift uncomfortably beside him.
"Indeed. What I'm trying to say is that Gháur is rampant with the very energy which gave you your precognitive visions in the first place. Who knows what kind of effect it will have on you a second time? Tenshinhan and I will be fine, and Fionn lived on Kanassa-Sei his entire life, so none of us will have anything to worry about, but your brain chemistry has been significantly altered by your encounter with Tooro. Being exposed to that energy again could trigger more visions, or worse, it might have an adverse effect on your health."
Bardock clenched his fists defiantly.
"Don't even think about talking me out of going. My son is over there, and if you even attempt to stop me, then things are going to get nasty, believe me."
"I wasn't going to," Piccolo replied sternly. "I'm just telling you to be ready, and don't let it get the better of you."
"I won't," he stated adamantly. "Let's just get this over with."
Tenshinhan, who had previously been overlooking the Namekian village, rejoined the group.
"That's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said, addressing Piccolo. "Since we got here I've been browsing the landscape for any possible ki levels to use as a target for the Shunkan Idou, and so far I haven't been able to detect any on that mountain. If there are Sé there, then I can't sense them. Of course, it's possible that all these Namekian ki's are interfering."
Piccolo shook his head.
"The Sé can't be sensed. That's the main reason why we need to be wary when on Gháur, and besides, I don't want to go straight to the mountain anyway. Before we start our search, I want to ask someone from the village below if any Sé have even been sighted on the mountain lately. It's entirely possible that they have since moved on and we're worrying about nothing, but I want to check just in case."
"Fair enough," Tenshinhan said. "I'll find a ki near side of the village nearest to Gháur. That way we won't have to travel very far to get there after you're done."
Within a matter of seconds the transport was complete, and the four warriors emerged several miles away on the northern most side of Sitar. Unusually, their sudden appearance was of no surprise to the various Nameks ambling casually nearby. Either they had sensed them coming, or they were used to such intrusions. One or two acknowledged their presence with a nod, then immediately returned to whatever they had been doing beforehand.
Piccolo actually had to walk over and tap one on the shoulder to get their attention.
He approached a small, squat Namek tending to his garden and kneeled beside him, then muttered something in a language that neither Bardock nor Fionn could recognize.
"It's Namekian," Tenshinhan said, realizing their confusion. "I suppose since they've been living among their own kind for thousands of years, they've forgotten to speak anything but their native tongue."
"An waca pa rapunga Sé don cnoc ar tasgá?" Piccolo questioned.
"Nei. Yoh feyr no Wagar trey," came the reply.
"Ma. Gardas-to."
Piccolo stood up and returned to the group.
"That was quick," Fionn remarked.
"Indeed," Piccolo said. "According to him, no Sé have been spotted on Gháur since he arrived in the village."
"And how long ago was that?" Bardock asked.
"Roughly 1,000 years."
"Well then," Bardock replied. "Do you think it's safe to assume that..."
He paused. He suddenly found it hard to catch his breath, and his head...it ached. The kind of ache that doesn't usually appear suddenly. The serious kind.
His knees buckled, sending him toppling earthwards.
He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
It hurt more than ever this time. Like white hot fire rushing through his veins. Like spikes being driven in through his eyes. He couldn't concentrate on what he was being shown. But...he knew he had to. He didn't know what it was, but he knew, above all else, that it was important.
He focused.
The swirling, maddening blackness before him gradually faded, and he began to make out features of a somewhat well-known building. It was the Check-In station, no mistaking it. But, where was everyone? It was so dark. He couldn't see anything.
Wait, focus again.
He was inside now. The blackness had changed to another colour.
Arterial red.
There was so much blood. Strewn all over the interior. On the roof, on the walls. It was everywhere. Bodies littered the floor. The ogres were dead. One's head had been neatly severed from his body. Another had a hole blown straight through his body. The last one's back was twisted at an impossible angle.
Where was Enma Daiou?
At his desk, where he always was. But this time it was different. Lying face down in a pool of blood, bones poking out of his massive body at various intervals. He was motionless. His soul had already departed, gone somewhere where dead people go when they die again. Who had done this?
A harsh, deafening laugh reverberated in Bardock's ears. It was so hard to concentrate on it, it was like white noise. Yet, there was no denying it...he had heard it somewhere before. It was so familiar, yet so new. Who was it?
The laughing stopped. Silence ensued.
Then a voice ripped through the air. So loud, yet so silent.
It barely rose above a whisper, but the words were frozen into Bardock's soul..
"You're next..."
His eyes jerked open and he sat up, drenched in sweat. A group of concerned Nameks had gathered around when he had collapsed, and they quickly drew back in fear as the Saiya-jin leapt to his feet with a desperate look on his face.
Fionn stepped in and grabbed him before he fell again.
"You okay?" he asked quickly. "That seemed like a bad one."
Bardock jerked free from Fionn's grasp and rushed towards Tenshinhan.
"Bring me to the Check-in station, now!! Something's wrong!" he roared.
"What the hell do you mean!?" Piccolo demanded. "What's wrong."
"We don't have the time! Just bring me there now!"
He recognized that voice. He knew he did. Why couldn't he remember it? It was infuriating! All he knew was that it was someone important.
Someone he had met before...
"How much longer is this going to take?" Bardock muttered grumpily. "He's been in there for over an hour now..."
"For the last time, calm down," Fionn said from his vantage point across the makeshift road. "He won't take any longer than necessary."
Tenshinhan agreed with a silent nod of his own.
All 3 warriors were presently sitting outside the massive iron door to the Check-In station, as they waited fitfully for Piccolo to finish his business with Enma Daiou. As Bardock had said, it had been quite a while since the two had started talking, and the line of souls waiting to be judged was steadily building up. Even the ogres were getting irritated...
One of them shot a vengeful glance over at the trio, as if it was their fault that his job had suddenly become a lot more stressful. Bardock noticed this...
"What the hell are you looking at?" he growled.
The harsh look on the ogre's face suddenly changed into something which closely resembled fear, and he quickly jerked his eyes away from the Saiya-jin's unforgiving glare.
Bardock returned his attention to his comrades.
"Tenshinhan," he said. "You've know Piccolo better than any of us, and I'm sure you've realised that he's far from keen on bringing us to this place where he believes the dragonballs are. Is there anything you could think of that would scare him so much?"
Tenshinhan raised his head and smiled.
"Nothing scares Piccolo. Let's just say that he's slightly wary about revisiting wherever it is we're going, and I must admit that I'm quite anxious myself. Anything that bothers him..." he jerked his thumb towards the Check-In station "deserves to be approached with caution."
Fionn and Bardock nodded in agreement.
It was at that exact moment that the massive iron door swung aside, and Piccolo strode out with a small, dark bag in his hand.
Just before the door closed itself again, Bardock caught a brief glimpse of Enma Daiou's face. He seemed extremely apprehensive as well.
"Wonderful", Bardock thought to himself. "Just where the hell are we going?"
All three of them rose to greet the Namek, who quickly tucked the small bag he carried into his belt. He reached up and affixed his turban, which had apparently become dislodged from its perch on top of his head. That done, he stated...
"We're ready. Let's go."
"Wait a minute," Bardock enquired. "What are those?" He pointed to the bag Piccolo had brought out with him.
"These..." He looked down. "...are a gift from Enma Daiou. Just a few Pitharos seeds he's been keeping if ever an emergency arose up here. He thought that we might need them."
Bardock grimaced, remembering the decidedly unpleasant side effects he had previously experienced after ingesting a Pitharos.
"I think I'll avoid having to take them unless absolutely necessary."
"That would probably be best," Tenshinhan said. "Saiya-jin physiology doesn't seem to be able to tolerate them. Just try and stay out of trouble, if that's too much to ask..."
Bardock smirked, then placed his hand on Tenshinhan's shoulder.
"What exactly should I look for?" Tenshinhan queried, two fingers raised to touch his forehead. "And just remember that we mightn't arrive exactly where we want."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Piccolo said. "There are more than enough sentient beings in the area, so no matter who you lock on to, we'll arrive near enough to our target.
He turned and pointed behind him.
"We're heading that way, to the far East. Try and find a Namekian ki around 50,000 miles in that direction."
For the next few moments, Tenshinhan was the picture of intense concentration, as he focused all his willpower on searching the land for the required ki.
A look of intense surprise crossed his face.
"Unbelievable," he whispered in awe. "I've found a Namekian ki, but..."
Bardock and Fionn stared at him in curiosity, while it seemed that Piccolo already knew fine what Tenshinhan was going to say next.
"Piccolo...there, there must be thousands of them."
Piccolo nodded.
"Hundreds of thousands, actually. That means you've got the right area, so go ahead and transport us there."
"But...why?" Tenshinhan stuttered. "Why have they all gathered there in one place?
"You'll see when we get there," Piccolo replied. "Now go."
The landscape suddenly melted away from before the eyes of the four warriors, and when it finally returned to normal several seconds later, they found themselves standing near the head of a small outcrop of rock, thousands of miles away from their previous location.
Bardock, Fionn and Piccolo removed their hands from Tenshinhan, and began to peruse their surroundings.
The particular rocky outcropping that they had landed on was about 200 metres up, on the side of a particularly modest mountain. Far below them, a pristine meadow carpeted the floor of a valley, formed by two enormous peaks, but that was not what caught their attention...
Namekian dwellings stretched along the valley floor as far as even Fionn's eyesight could determine, and Bardock realised that Piccolo was not exaggerating when he said that hundreds of thousands of his species occupied this area. If anything, he had underestimated their numbers...
The areas around the dwellings were bustling with life, all Namekian, from what they could determine. The valley itself was massive, yet it was completely occupied by these comparatively tiny creatures.
He turned to face Piccolo.
"Something you forgot to mention about this place?"
"Not really. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's slightly unusual considering that you weren't exactly delighted at the prospect of coming here, and now that we find that it's populated by enough Nameks to fill your planet a hundred times over."
"C'mon, you have to admit that this is far from normal," Fionn said. "Individual races hardly ever colonise areas like this, and certainly not on such a grand scale. Is there a reason why so many Nameks are attracted to this area?"
"There is, but so far, no one has ever been able to figure out why. For as far back as records have been kept in the afterlife, members of the Namekian race have been drawn to this place, or so I've been told. Some think that the spiritual energy which maintains the afterlife is particularly abundant in this area, and that it acts almost as a homing beacon for races sensitive to such things."
Bardock and Fionn stared blankly.
"And," Piccolo continued. "Since Nameks are more sensitive to the affairs of spirit energy than others, it makes sense that an area like this would be an attraction for them."
"So Nameks are sensitive to spirit energy?" Bardock said. "I never knew that..."
Piccolo stared at him curiously.
"Do you think it's just a coincidence that we're the only race able to create and control dragonballs?"
"Hmmm," Bardock conceded. "Makes sense, I suppose."
"Hold on," Fionn interjected. "If this area has been attracting Nameks for millions of years, how come you haven't felt the need to travel here in all the time you've been in the afterlife?"
Piccolo frowned, making Fionn feel distinctly uncomfortable.
"I have felt the urge. Many times, but I've always been able to resist it, largely because my duties in Hell have always taken precedence over everything else."
He paused, and stared morosely down at the village below him.
"But the main reason I've never felt an overwhelming urge is because I'm quite different from every other Namek down there. I've been killed, I've fused twice, and even the circumstances surrounding my birth were unusual. I feel it would be extremely naïve of me to think of myself as an ordinary Namek after everything that's happened to me over the years."
"You say that like it's a bad thing..." Fionn said.
Piccolo didn't answer. No one pressed the matter.
"So tell me," Bardock asked, in a none-to subtle bid to change the subject. "What's this place called?"
Piccolo raised his head slowly.
"Sitar. Named by the warrior who established it over 4 millennia ago."
"And this is where you think the dragonballs are?" Fionn asked, scratching his head uncomfortably. "I can't say I'm looking forward to searching all those huts..."
"Not here," Piccolo replied. "There."
He pointed straight ahead of them, right to the other side of the immense valley in which Sitar was located. There lay a brobdignian mountain so high it passed the clouds, and so wide it's corners could not be seen by any of the four warriors. Unnaturally dark shadows lay interwoven across it's undulating face, randomly cut with unfathomably deep chasms. This was Gháur, the main peak in the Thrandúil mountain range.
"There?" Fionn muttered. "A few huts would be a welcome prospect compared to searching that thing."
"Searching it will be the least of our problems. Fell creatures inhabit Gháur's dark recesses. Creatures far older than anything you've ever encountered in the afterlife before."
Bardock stared at him.
"You said that you'd been here once before. If it really is such a dangerous place, then why did you risk it?"
"Because I didn't know it at the time, and it was not Gháur that I visited. This mountain range stretches for many leagues across the land, and throughout my travels I accidentally stumbled upon them in a place far from here. The creatures which inhabit them are not natural, and were it not for those Nameks down below, they would most likely be infesting the entire expanse of the afterlife by now."
"The Nameks?" Fionn said. "They repel them?"
"Not now, but many thousands of years ago, when the Nameks first attempted to colonise this area. They came into conflict with a race known as the Sé, natives of the Thrandúil mountains. The Sé are a malevolent race of demons, as old as the Kaio's, and much more powerful, with a blinding hatred for all other forms of life. For 3,000 years, the two races fought a tireless, bloody war against each other for control of this area, losing countless souls in the process. Eventually, the Nameks emerged victorious, and drove the Sé back into the depths of Thrandúil, forbidding them ever to set foot outside the range again."
Bardock nodded in acknowledgment.
"And the Nameks' continued presence in this area acts as a deterrent in case they ever decide to leave. I can see why they wouldn't be happy if we started browsing around their mountain."
"It shouldn't be too difficult to avoid them," Piccolo continued. "As long as we stay in the light, we'll be fine. The Sé despise it, and they tend to stick to the shaded areas of the mountain. But we must always keep our wits about us, for the shadows on Gháur have a life of their own, roving around intermittently, and the Sé move like the wind. They could be upon us in a second if we accidentally stumbled into a darkened area."
Bardock looked up at the sky.
"Where exactly does the shadow come from? There aren't any clouds that I can see..."
"No one knows," Piccolo replied. "Some say that the mountain itself creates them..."
"Wonderful", Fionn muttered. "Well, shall we go?"
"One last thing," Piccolo stated. "Bardock, tell me, have you had any visions lately?"
Bardock stared at the Namek in curiosity. Now that he actually thought about it, he hadn't experienced a vision in quite a while, not since the fight with Conoracha.
"No, why?"
"When we arrive on Gháur, be prepared. The energy which flows around this area is also found in many regions in the Living World. On Namek, for example. That's why I believe the dragonballs have traveled to this area- to seek familiar energy to aid their recuperation. But there are other places as well, such as on one planet in particular which you should be more than familiar with..."
Bardock felt sick. He already knew what planet Piccolo was talking about...
"Kanassa-Sei..."
He felt Fionn shift uncomfortably beside him.
"Indeed. What I'm trying to say is that Gháur is rampant with the very energy which gave you your precognitive visions in the first place. Who knows what kind of effect it will have on you a second time? Tenshinhan and I will be fine, and Fionn lived on Kanassa-Sei his entire life, so none of us will have anything to worry about, but your brain chemistry has been significantly altered by your encounter with Tooro. Being exposed to that energy again could trigger more visions, or worse, it might have an adverse effect on your health."
Bardock clenched his fists defiantly.
"Don't even think about talking me out of going. My son is over there, and if you even attempt to stop me, then things are going to get nasty, believe me."
"I wasn't going to," Piccolo replied sternly. "I'm just telling you to be ready, and don't let it get the better of you."
"I won't," he stated adamantly. "Let's just get this over with."
Tenshinhan, who had previously been overlooking the Namekian village, rejoined the group.
"That's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said, addressing Piccolo. "Since we got here I've been browsing the landscape for any possible ki levels to use as a target for the Shunkan Idou, and so far I haven't been able to detect any on that mountain. If there are Sé there, then I can't sense them. Of course, it's possible that all these Namekian ki's are interfering."
Piccolo shook his head.
"The Sé can't be sensed. That's the main reason why we need to be wary when on Gháur, and besides, I don't want to go straight to the mountain anyway. Before we start our search, I want to ask someone from the village below if any Sé have even been sighted on the mountain lately. It's entirely possible that they have since moved on and we're worrying about nothing, but I want to check just in case."
"Fair enough," Tenshinhan said. "I'll find a ki near side of the village nearest to Gháur. That way we won't have to travel very far to get there after you're done."
Within a matter of seconds the transport was complete, and the four warriors emerged several miles away on the northern most side of Sitar. Unusually, their sudden appearance was of no surprise to the various Nameks ambling casually nearby. Either they had sensed them coming, or they were used to such intrusions. One or two acknowledged their presence with a nod, then immediately returned to whatever they had been doing beforehand.
Piccolo actually had to walk over and tap one on the shoulder to get their attention.
He approached a small, squat Namek tending to his garden and kneeled beside him, then muttered something in a language that neither Bardock nor Fionn could recognize.
"It's Namekian," Tenshinhan said, realizing their confusion. "I suppose since they've been living among their own kind for thousands of years, they've forgotten to speak anything but their native tongue."
"An waca pa rapunga Sé don cnoc ar tasgá?" Piccolo questioned.
"Nei. Yoh feyr no Wagar trey," came the reply.
"Ma. Gardas-to."
Piccolo stood up and returned to the group.
"That was quick," Fionn remarked.
"Indeed," Piccolo said. "According to him, no Sé have been spotted on Gháur since he arrived in the village."
"And how long ago was that?" Bardock asked.
"Roughly 1,000 years."
"Well then," Bardock replied. "Do you think it's safe to assume that..."
He paused. He suddenly found it hard to catch his breath, and his head...it ached. The kind of ache that doesn't usually appear suddenly. The serious kind.
His knees buckled, sending him toppling earthwards.
He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
It hurt more than ever this time. Like white hot fire rushing through his veins. Like spikes being driven in through his eyes. He couldn't concentrate on what he was being shown. But...he knew he had to. He didn't know what it was, but he knew, above all else, that it was important.
He focused.
The swirling, maddening blackness before him gradually faded, and he began to make out features of a somewhat well-known building. It was the Check-In station, no mistaking it. But, where was everyone? It was so dark. He couldn't see anything.
Wait, focus again.
He was inside now. The blackness had changed to another colour.
Arterial red.
There was so much blood. Strewn all over the interior. On the roof, on the walls. It was everywhere. Bodies littered the floor. The ogres were dead. One's head had been neatly severed from his body. Another had a hole blown straight through his body. The last one's back was twisted at an impossible angle.
Where was Enma Daiou?
At his desk, where he always was. But this time it was different. Lying face down in a pool of blood, bones poking out of his massive body at various intervals. He was motionless. His soul had already departed, gone somewhere where dead people go when they die again. Who had done this?
A harsh, deafening laugh reverberated in Bardock's ears. It was so hard to concentrate on it, it was like white noise. Yet, there was no denying it...he had heard it somewhere before. It was so familiar, yet so new. Who was it?
The laughing stopped. Silence ensued.
Then a voice ripped through the air. So loud, yet so silent.
It barely rose above a whisper, but the words were frozen into Bardock's soul..
"You're next..."
His eyes jerked open and he sat up, drenched in sweat. A group of concerned Nameks had gathered around when he had collapsed, and they quickly drew back in fear as the Saiya-jin leapt to his feet with a desperate look on his face.
Fionn stepped in and grabbed him before he fell again.
"You okay?" he asked quickly. "That seemed like a bad one."
Bardock jerked free from Fionn's grasp and rushed towards Tenshinhan.
"Bring me to the Check-in station, now!! Something's wrong!" he roared.
"What the hell do you mean!?" Piccolo demanded. "What's wrong."
"We don't have the time! Just bring me there now!"
He recognized that voice. He knew he did. Why couldn't he remember it? It was infuriating! All he knew was that it was someone important.
Someone he had met before...