Dragon Ball Next Generation
The Grey Saga
Part 2: The Sacrifice
Chapter 9
I walked towards the castle, contemplating my choice. Why did I feel like I needed to do this alone? Why didn't I just ask Xander to help me? He probably could have gotten the information out of Turmeric better then I could. Perhaps, it was because of Jack Satan. Even though he didn't have a chance if a fight broke out, he still stayed. I gave him a chance to run, but he didn't. I suppose he rubbed off on me.
I looked back, trying to catch one more "glimpse" of Xander's ki. Nothing. He would have to run quite a ways before he could raise his ki enough to fly. If he raised it too soon, he might be detected by the demons, and they would know I failed.
Concentrating, I created a small ball of ki at my fingertip. I pointed at my other arm and fired. It scraped the surface of my skin, then buried it's self in the ground. The result was a wide and nasty looking wound on my arm, but it was superficial, and it wouldn't hinder me in a fight. I did the same across my chest, my left leg, and on my cheek. I then turned back towards the castle and continued on.
I informed Turmeric that the attacker was "dead". He was extremely pleased, and told me that I had "earned your place at Master Garlic's side". When things died down, I took my leave, and made my way back to Turmeric's wing. There, I hunted through everything I that was readable, hoping to find mention of the key. I only reaffirmed that one was needed, but it said nothing as to what it was.
Frustrated, I went back to my room. I needed to calm myself down, collect my thoughts, and prepare myself. Before the day was done, Garlic Jr. would be released, and I needed to make sure that didn't happen. A fight would be inevitable. That the fight would bring death was inevitable. Above all else, I needed to align myself with death; I could not be hindered by morals that said it was wrong to kill. I could not be afraid to kill if it meant the survival of the ones I was protecting.
I meditated on what I had seen in my time there. What kind of people the castle contained, what they did while inhabiting it. Armed with that knowledge, it would be much easier to kill if needed.
I was summoned by one of Turmeric's servants for dinner. I was surprised to find the sun low in the west. Time had slipped by, time I could have used to find more information. But I felt that the time had been well spent, for now I was ready.
For the first time since arriving at the castle, I ate everything that was offered to me. I forced it down, knowing that I would need all my strength for the night. As I ate, I watched for Turmeric, who was absent from the table. Probably preparing for Garlic. What about the others? Did they know? The demons seemed to have an air of anxiety about them, but Talbot seemed to concentrate solely on the almost raw steak in front of him, and Orlock, sipping his "breakfast" from a goblet like fine wine, seemed to be very contemplative, far away in his own world.
Almost immediately after I finished my meal, Turmeric walked in. His face showed no sign of worry, or anxiety. He was acting as if nothing was about to happen. He sat down, but no food was brought to him. He closed his eyes, looking as if he was concentrating on something. He opened his eyes, and surveyed the room.
"It is time." He said. At the same time, all four demons stood up, and walked toward the door. Orlock and Talbot were close to follow, with me behind them. I pulled up the hood of my cloak as the others did. We made our way outside the castle, to the courtyard with the stone pillars, where the rest of its occupants were gathered.
Why outside? I wondered. There didn't seem to be any reason for it, and that disturbed me. Almost immediately, I was glad we left, because the eerie aura that the castle emitted seemed to swell, almost as if it too was anticipating Garlic's resurrection. Storm clouds were gathering in the horizon, blocking the stars. Again I wondered, why outside?
"Everyone!" I heard Turmeric shout. The mass of people immediately fell silent. "You have come here for you own purposes. None of you were summoned by me, or any of my brethren. But, you came. You came, whether knowingly or not, to answer a call. The call of my master, the immortal Garlic Jr.!"
I watched Turmeric, hoping that I would find an opening to attack.
"When he arrives," Turmeric continued, "you will be rewarded beyond your dreams, if you follow him, as you follow me. Any pleasure you could think of will become reality if you follow us!" The crowd began to cheer, and chant Garlic's and Turmeric's names.
"In one hour, he will immerge from his prison," Turmeric said, reaching into his cloak, "using a portal I will create from this!" He yelled over the crowd, holding something in his hand. It looked like a piece of glass, but it wasn't. It was like a window, black and orange clouds swirling inside it. That was the key!
I could have grabbed it and destroyed it. But I didn't. I could have blasted Turmeric, incinerating both him and the key. But I didn't. Instead, for the second time that day, I began to laugh. It sounded like someone else, the laugh of a maniac. Turmeric and his disciples, the other humans of the castle, backed away. Even they were disturbed by the crazed laugh.
I knew that the charade was over. I pulled off the cloak, revealing the same Crane School gi. Still giggling, I pulled the small satchel that Xander had given me, and with it in hand, pushed the orange button on the watch John had given me.
I was immersed in a bright light. Much to my satisfaction, I hear Orlock give out a scream of pain. When it subsided, I was clothed in my orange Turtle School gi. The only difference was the lack of weighted clothes, and on the front and back, hole for my tail, and Dende's symbol for Kami replaced the Turtle School's. I tied the satchel to by belt.
"KAMI!" Turmeric shouted in disgust. "Orlock! KILL HIM!" He screamed at the vampire. Orlock stepped foreword, licking his lips.
"No!" I heard a shout. It came from Talbot. "Master, please, let me have him. It's been so long sense I've had prey." Turmeric nodded.
"Very well."
The crowd expanded the room between us, making a ring just like when I fought the Champion.
Talbot threw off his cloak, revealing a white muscle shirt, and jeans. He wore no shoes. He had a fairly built frame, but it did not look like he would be a challenge. Then I sensed a different power, latent deep inside him.
He looked at me, his feral yellow eyes seemed glow. He grinned, eyeing me as if I was a one of his steaks. Then, I noticed that his face, which once had a five o'clock shadow, had grown darker as more hair had sprouted from it. Did I imagine that?
His grin turned into a grimace as his eyes suddenly shot from me, going out of focus. He began to scream in agony. The power I felt inside him was coming out. But, it was so completely different then any ki I had felt before. It did not come because he trained for it, but came because of his need. His need for food. The power I felt was a manifestation of his hunger.
His muscles began to budge, looking as if they would burst from his steadily darkening skin. His clothes were shredded as he grew, hair replacing them. His face was the last to change. His screams of agony turned into a howl as his face extended into a muzzle, his teeth grew into fangs, and hair covered his entire body.
Lon Talbot was a werewolf.
Faced with something I had seen exclusively in movies, my mind began to race. What did I know about werewolves? In the back of my shocked mind, the answer came. You become one if it drew your blood. They transform in the light of a full moon. But, there hadn't been a moon for three hundred years! They must have gained the ability to transform at will, simply evolution at work.
My thoughts were broken as the Talbot/wolf howled and lunged at me. Its speed surprised me. With its bulk, I expected it to be much slower.
I narrowly escaped its claws at it swiped at me. I leapt back, keeping my distance. I already had my Oorazu transformation. Who knew what would happen if this thing got me? I decided I didn't want to find out.
Snarling, the beast ran at me, attacking with its claws and fangs. I dodged its attacks, landing a punch in its furry gut. The wolf hit the ground with a yelp. How do you kill werewolves?
With silver, the answer came, and my heart sunk. I didn't have any silver, and I didn't know where to find some.
The wolf ran at me again, it's power seeming to grow with its hunger and frustration at killing its prey. I was forced to raise my ki just to avoid its blows. I leapt over it, and shot a ball into its back. Its scream was almost human. The wolf had probably never experienced pain when transformed.
I flew upwards, buying some time to think of a strategy. One of the demons made a move to chase me, but stopped at Turmeric's command.
I looked back, and Talbot was gone! I scanned the area below me, but I didn't see him. Damn it! Where did he ... SHIT!
The wolf was suddenly parallel to me, it's jaws agape, and its claws stretched toward me neck. I was saved by my instincts; I spun, catching him with a hook kick. With a yelp, the beast hurtled toward the ground. Showing no sign of injury, it immediately began to climb up one of the stone pillars for another shot at me. I flew up higher as it leapt at me, flying out of its reach.
I needed to think of a strategy. But I realized that I didn't have time. Garlic was going to arrive in less then an hour.
"Kamehame..." I cupped my hands, flying closer to the ground. Talbot took the bait. With a howl, it bounded up another pillar, and leapt at me.
"HA!" I screamed, and released the beam inches before the thing was upon me. It let out a loud yelp as the beam hit it, pushing toward the ground. It exploded as soon as it made contact with the ground.
The dust blew away, and I saw the motionless body of wolf. I slowly floated toward the ground, trying to slow my breathing. My fight was far from finished. I still had Orlock and the demons to deal with...
With an earsplitting howl, the wolf leapt from the ground. Stunned, I was barely able to catch it's arms inches before it's claws reached my neck. My feet hit the ground, and I pushed back, trying to gain leverage over the beast. If I let go, I was too close to it to dodge its attacks.
It leaned in, it's muzzle dripping with saliva. I felt its breath on my neck. I screamed, and pushed harder, but the beast was still getting leverage. In moments, its fangs would sink into my neck, and it would be over...
Talbot suddenly went limp. I let go, and its enormous body collapsed on the ground, it's breathing ragged, slowing, and its eyes wide with pain and surprise. He began to shrink, the fur slowly melting back into the skin, as death overtook the beast.
What the hell happened?
I glanced over the body, and saw a bloody hole in the back, the size of a bullet... I looked up. Jack Satan stood there, still in the firing position. The others were getting over their shock, and began to running at Jack. Throwing off his cloak, he ran toward me. The other's stopped abruptly. They weren't about to risk getting close to me.
Strapped around Jack were cloves of garlic, various shapes of wooden stakes, magazines of bullets, and daggers.
"Told ya I was prepared." He said, grinning.
"Thanks."
"No problem. I just had to wait till you guys stopped moving so I could get off a clean shot." He said.
"Orlock! Kill the traitors!" I heard Turmeric scream.
Vlad Orlock stepped toward us. I felt Jack press something in my hand. A wooden stake.
"You attack form the front, I'll try to sneak up on 'im." He whispered. I nodded. "Aim for the heart."
Jack and I separated, I moving toward the vampire, Jack taking a step backward. I kept my eyes on the vampire, trying to keep his attention. His white fangs gleamed in the starlight; his red eyes seemed to glow.
"You couldn't even defeat that mangy wolf." He said. "What chance do you think you could possibly have against me?"
Before I could respond, his eyes met mine. What he said seemed to make sense. What could I do? All I had to beat him was a measly piece of wood.
"Yes, that's right. Accept the inevitable." His voice filled my head, pushing out all other thoughts. He walked closer to me, his slow stride becoming faster as he gained confidence.
"Drop you weapon. Admit defeat." My grip on the stake loosened. While my vision was fixed on Orlock's eyes, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack running at Orlock, approaching at the side. With a yell, he leapt, stake raised high. Without breaking his connection with me, he hit Jack with a backhand, sending him sprawling to the ground.
I hope he' s not too hurt, I thought dully. My mind wasn't really on Jack. The vampire's eyes seemed to grow larger, glow brighter. The stake in my hand was beginning to feel heavy. Orlock came closer, now only a few feet away from me.
"Drop that weapon, admit defeat." He said again, his voice becoming more powerful, almost overriding my own thoughts.
Yes, admit defeat. That's what I wanted to do. It was hopeless, really. What chance did I stand against such creatures? It was folly from the beginning. The vampire was now in arm's reach of me, his fangs seeming to grow in the anticipation of blood.
Even if I did somehow defeat them, in two years, I would have to face an even greater foe. An entire army, against just us five. What chance do we have? I could feel the vampire's breath on my neck. It's better if I just give up now. At least I'll be able to see Ann again.
Ann?
Isn't she the one I was doing this for? Isn't it because of her I am defending the Earth? But Ann is dead. He'll kill me! I don't want to die! No! I don't want to die!
"Noooo!" I screamed, breaking the vampire's trance a moment before he broke the covering the veins of my neck. Orlock shot backwards, hissing like a snake about to strike.
In frantic desperation born from the realization that I had almost died, I raised the stake high, and plunged it into the vampire's chest. His scream was so high pitched I could barely hear it. He sunk to his knees, blood pouring out of his mouth. He fell to the ground, nothing more then ash when he landed.
I looked to when Orlock had hit Jack. He was held by some of the other men, a knife held inches away from his neck.
"Kill him, my brethren!" I heard Turmeric scream. He was getting angry. "He can't defeat all three of you!"
Immediately, the three demons were in front of me. They had taken off their cloaks, revealing the rags they wore for clothing.
I assumed a defensive position. I knew that I didn't have a lot of time, but I couldn't attack three directly. I would have to get them to make the first move.
Luckily, they were not true martial artists. They attacked almost immediately, separating so that they would attack my front sides. Waiting until the last moment, I zanzokened behind the green one, Cinnamon. He left his back completely exposed as they attacked my image. I hit him in the back, sending him into the largest one, Cumin. Not giving them time to realize what happened, I attacked the smallest one, Chile. Being the fastest of the three, he was the quickest to recover, but not quick enough.
I hit him hard in the gut, spun, and kicked him in the head. He was sent to the ground, and the other two were immediately upon me. I spun around, kicking Cinnamon in the side. Seeing an opening, Cumin lunged for my head. He was too slow, and I dodged the blow by millimeters, hitting him several times in his exposed stomach.
Raising my ki, I leapt away from them, each still getting up off the ground. I had been lucky. If any of them had any fighting sense, I might not have been able to pull that off.
All three attacked at once. I didn't have time to get away, so I had to defend. Luckily, they were enraged by their previous humiliation, and their attacks were sloppy and poorly coordinated. I blocked the best I could, trying to find an opening to escape or at least take one out.
Chile gave me such an opening, and I went for it. Millimeters before my fist reached his face, I felt pain in the back of my head. Idiot! I had left my back completely open to attack. I was stunned for a moment, and they pounced on me, beating me with their fists and claws.
I spun on the ground, sweeping one of them. Raising my ki violently to push the other two back, I leapt up, and shot into the sky. Spitting out the blood that had been collecting in my mouth, I pushed ki into my hand, aimed at the largest, slowest demon, and fired. He dodged the ball, but the explosion sent him and the humans near him flying.
Cinnamon appeared behind me, aiming a strike to my exposed back. I spun and caught his fist, pulling him into my knee. He gasped, spitting out saliva and blood. Chile leapt at me from the ground. I grabbed Cinnamon's neck, and threw him at his comrade, sending a ball of ki flying after him. Chile caught the recovering Cinnamon, and was unable to dodge the ki. To my satisfaction, both demons out screams as the explosion engulfed them. They were sent hurtling back to the ground. Cinnamon managed to land on his feet, Chile landed on his head. After a moment's hesitation, he too got to his feet.
Cinnamon began to scream, clawing at his arm. He began to tear off his own flesh! He seemed to grab something at his shoulder, and pulled. A giant sword immerged from his flesh! I glanced at Chile, and saw he was pulling two long knives from his legs.
I spat, disgusted. The two demons attacked, flying at me, their weapons bared. I would have to take one out fast; I couldn't dodge their blades forever.
They were both much more skilled with blades then hand-to-hand combat, and I had difficulties just dodging. I felt the cold bite of the steel as the blades skimmed my limbs. I didn't even have time to think about taking the offensive.
Raising my ki almost to its peak, I shot backwards, then forwards again for almost a foot, sending a zanzoken at the demons. They took the bait, realizing the trick only after their blades had found my image, and I was behind them.
Screaming, I slammed into Chile's back, sending him to the ground. With barely at thought, I turned on Cinnamon, aiming for his head. He shot back, swinging his gigantic sword at my head. I snapped my head back, and kicked at his gut. He shot upwards in the air. Now that he had leverage, he swung his sword again. I had no time to dodge, and, out of desperation, grabbed the blade with my palms. We struggled for a moment, his blade an inch from my face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chile flying toward us. Pushing my ki as high as it would go, and swung my arms around. I gave Cinnamon a swift kick to the gut, causing him to release his sword. The momentum of my swing sent him hurtling toward Chile.
Within a fraction of a second, I flipped the sword around, grabbed the dull edge of the sword, and threw it as hard as I could. It entered Cinnamon's back, went through, entered Chile's stomach and went through. The momentum kept them going, pining them to the ground.
"Kamehameha!" I screamed, releasing the beam. It hit the demons, leaving nothing but ash in a crater.
Breathing deeply, I sunk back to the ground. It wasn't over. I knew I hadn't killed Cumin. I scanned the area, but I didn't see him. I could feel his ki, however. It was...
Too late, I realized it was underneath me. The huge demon exploded from the ground behind me, bearing a long sickle. He swung at my neck. I barely dodged it, noticing a few small hairs fall from my head.
I watched the hairs fall, almost in slow motion. I don't have time to watch my hair fall! I don't have time to fight him! I have to get to Turmeric!
I spun, belting him in the gut. He let out a gasp of surprise. I used it to strike his sickle, breaking it in half. In the force of the blow, Cumin lost his grip on the weapon. In almost one entire motion, I grabbed the bladed end out of midair, leapt up, swung, and cleaved the demon's head clean off.
I landed, dropped the sickle, and wiped the blood off my face. It was all over the front of my gi as well, but I didn't have time to deal with that.
"The one to give me the traitors' heads will take Garlic's side with me!" I heard Turmeric scream. I tried to find where he was, but I was immediately attacked by the humans who had been petrified just hours ago. Some brought out their curved daggers. Others just attacked with their fists. But they all attacked at once.
I didn't have any time to aim, to watch my opponents, or to think. I went into an autopilot of attacks, hitting whatever moved. There were so many! As soon as I knocked one away, two more sprang up.
Suddenly, I felt an excruciating pain shoot through my body. I had a moment find the cause before they pounced on me. Grimes had grabbed my tail! He must have realized that was the weak spot he saw in the Budoukia. I fell to the ground in pain. I was utterly powerless to defend myself from their attacks. Their fists bruised me, their daggers cut me.
Muffled by the screams of my attackers, I heard a dull bang. Immediately, I was relived of my pain! Screaming, I pushed my ki as high as it would go, sending my attackers flying. I looked behind me, and saw Jack, his gun still pointed at Grimes lifeless body. He gave a quick smile, then quickly turned his weapon on an attacker of his own.
That was twice he had saved my life that night.
I took the offensive, moving from one person to the next, far to fast for them to see. I made my attacks fast, but hit hard enough that my opponents wouldn't get up after I hit them. Slowly, I was making my way to Turmeric.
His eyes caught mine. The demon seemed to be giddy. Maybe his fear is making him go insane, I thought gleefully.
Behind me, I heard Jack scream. I turned around, and saw he was holding the nozzle of the gun, using it like a club. His left arm was covered in blood.
A man grabbed my leg. Another leapt on my back, his dagger at my throat. Two more grabbed my arms.
I have to get to Jack!
I flew into the air, my attackers still clinging to me. I flew strait up, as fast as I could. All but the one on my back lost their grip and fell to the ground. I grabbed the last one's dagger, flipped it in my hand, and shoved it behind me. He fell as well.
"JACK! RUN!" I screamed, cupping my hands. He looked up at me, and without questioning, ran.
"Kamehame..." I pushed all the ki I could between my hands. The remaining humans below me looked up, probably waiting for their chance to deliver my head to Turmeric. Everything I had seen while in that castle came back to me, and with relish that almost frightened me, I screamed:
"HAAA!" The blue beam exploded from my palms, almost too fast for those below me to realize what was happening. My attack hit the ground and exploded. Within a second, they were nothing more then ash.
Thunder boomed, and for the first time I noticed it had begun to rain. When had that happened? I glanced at the ground, and saw Jack's form lying face down.
As I reached him, I saw a large gash running from his left shoulder to his collarbone. I reached for small bag at my waist feeling for a sensu bean.
"It's ok," I said, my voice shaking from exhaustion, "eat this and you'll be fine." He tried to say something, but his voice was so weak I couldn't hear it. I grasped a sensu in my bag and...
An enormous stone hand shot from the sky and grabbed Jack. Before I could react, I felt strong fingers close around my body as well. I screamed as I was lifted up, the huge hand slowly tightening its grip.
"If only I had known... I might not have let you live as long." Said a voice. What? Who?
Turmeric.
But, it was not he. It looked like a statue.
"If I had known you were Kami's whelp, I would have killed you long ago." Said the statue. It raised its hands, slowly closing them. The stone hand holding me tightened its grip. Despite the pain, a cold chill ran through me. Had he known about my plans all along?
"Have you figured it out yet?" The living stone said. It looked as if it was on the verge of laughter. "I've known your intentions from the start. I knew you broke into my study. I knew you were waiting to see the key to attack. I've known everything! You never stood a chance."
"Ho..." I tried to speak, but I the stone hands were squeezing the air out me.
"Do you think a simple charm to poison food is the limit of my talents?" the demon statue said, grinning. "I have studied magic for over a hundred years. Nothing is out of my reach! Even stone is under my command!" Slowly, my oxygen starved brain made the connection.
"This entire castle is one large golem!" He said. "I constructed it out of magic, and it follows my every command! I see all inside of its walls!" So the real Turmeric was in the castle!
Even though it caused me great pain, I turned my neck towards the castle. It was changing its form! Turmeric was changing it from inside. That's why he led went outside to announce Garlic's coming. He didn't want me to see his ability until he was able to ambush me.
"But, you have served your purpose." It said. I could barely breath, but the stone Turmeric went on without me questioning him. "You have eliminated all the competition for Garlic's right hand. Why do you think I let them at you one by one, when they would have succeeded had they attacked together? Now I will be the only one to greet Master Garlic when he comes!"
That bastard used me! Anger flushed over me, but the pain subsided it.
The stone Turmeric held his hands high, and clamped his hands shut. I gasped as the stone hand squeezed, slowly crushing my bones. I heard Jack scream in agony, then, more terrible then the scream, he fell silent. His ki slowly faded away.
No.
The pain disappeared. Rage swept over me, and compared to that, pain was nothing.
"TURMERIC!" I screamed in fury, the stone hand crumbling under my power, my rage. The golem in Turmeric's shape had one second to contemplate the mistake it had made before I crushed its head.
Just stone. How I wanted it to be flesh. I wanted nothing better then to reached the real demon, and tear his flesh away. To break each and every of his bones. To send him into agony a hundred times worse then Jack had felt.
When I reached Turmeric, death would be a friend to him.
The Grey Saga
Part 2: The Sacrifice
Chapter 9
I walked towards the castle, contemplating my choice. Why did I feel like I needed to do this alone? Why didn't I just ask Xander to help me? He probably could have gotten the information out of Turmeric better then I could. Perhaps, it was because of Jack Satan. Even though he didn't have a chance if a fight broke out, he still stayed. I gave him a chance to run, but he didn't. I suppose he rubbed off on me.
I looked back, trying to catch one more "glimpse" of Xander's ki. Nothing. He would have to run quite a ways before he could raise his ki enough to fly. If he raised it too soon, he might be detected by the demons, and they would know I failed.
Concentrating, I created a small ball of ki at my fingertip. I pointed at my other arm and fired. It scraped the surface of my skin, then buried it's self in the ground. The result was a wide and nasty looking wound on my arm, but it was superficial, and it wouldn't hinder me in a fight. I did the same across my chest, my left leg, and on my cheek. I then turned back towards the castle and continued on.
I informed Turmeric that the attacker was "dead". He was extremely pleased, and told me that I had "earned your place at Master Garlic's side". When things died down, I took my leave, and made my way back to Turmeric's wing. There, I hunted through everything I that was readable, hoping to find mention of the key. I only reaffirmed that one was needed, but it said nothing as to what it was.
Frustrated, I went back to my room. I needed to calm myself down, collect my thoughts, and prepare myself. Before the day was done, Garlic Jr. would be released, and I needed to make sure that didn't happen. A fight would be inevitable. That the fight would bring death was inevitable. Above all else, I needed to align myself with death; I could not be hindered by morals that said it was wrong to kill. I could not be afraid to kill if it meant the survival of the ones I was protecting.
I meditated on what I had seen in my time there. What kind of people the castle contained, what they did while inhabiting it. Armed with that knowledge, it would be much easier to kill if needed.
I was summoned by one of Turmeric's servants for dinner. I was surprised to find the sun low in the west. Time had slipped by, time I could have used to find more information. But I felt that the time had been well spent, for now I was ready.
For the first time since arriving at the castle, I ate everything that was offered to me. I forced it down, knowing that I would need all my strength for the night. As I ate, I watched for Turmeric, who was absent from the table. Probably preparing for Garlic. What about the others? Did they know? The demons seemed to have an air of anxiety about them, but Talbot seemed to concentrate solely on the almost raw steak in front of him, and Orlock, sipping his "breakfast" from a goblet like fine wine, seemed to be very contemplative, far away in his own world.
Almost immediately after I finished my meal, Turmeric walked in. His face showed no sign of worry, or anxiety. He was acting as if nothing was about to happen. He sat down, but no food was brought to him. He closed his eyes, looking as if he was concentrating on something. He opened his eyes, and surveyed the room.
"It is time." He said. At the same time, all four demons stood up, and walked toward the door. Orlock and Talbot were close to follow, with me behind them. I pulled up the hood of my cloak as the others did. We made our way outside the castle, to the courtyard with the stone pillars, where the rest of its occupants were gathered.
Why outside? I wondered. There didn't seem to be any reason for it, and that disturbed me. Almost immediately, I was glad we left, because the eerie aura that the castle emitted seemed to swell, almost as if it too was anticipating Garlic's resurrection. Storm clouds were gathering in the horizon, blocking the stars. Again I wondered, why outside?
"Everyone!" I heard Turmeric shout. The mass of people immediately fell silent. "You have come here for you own purposes. None of you were summoned by me, or any of my brethren. But, you came. You came, whether knowingly or not, to answer a call. The call of my master, the immortal Garlic Jr.!"
I watched Turmeric, hoping that I would find an opening to attack.
"When he arrives," Turmeric continued, "you will be rewarded beyond your dreams, if you follow him, as you follow me. Any pleasure you could think of will become reality if you follow us!" The crowd began to cheer, and chant Garlic's and Turmeric's names.
"In one hour, he will immerge from his prison," Turmeric said, reaching into his cloak, "using a portal I will create from this!" He yelled over the crowd, holding something in his hand. It looked like a piece of glass, but it wasn't. It was like a window, black and orange clouds swirling inside it. That was the key!
I could have grabbed it and destroyed it. But I didn't. I could have blasted Turmeric, incinerating both him and the key. But I didn't. Instead, for the second time that day, I began to laugh. It sounded like someone else, the laugh of a maniac. Turmeric and his disciples, the other humans of the castle, backed away. Even they were disturbed by the crazed laugh.
I knew that the charade was over. I pulled off the cloak, revealing the same Crane School gi. Still giggling, I pulled the small satchel that Xander had given me, and with it in hand, pushed the orange button on the watch John had given me.
I was immersed in a bright light. Much to my satisfaction, I hear Orlock give out a scream of pain. When it subsided, I was clothed in my orange Turtle School gi. The only difference was the lack of weighted clothes, and on the front and back, hole for my tail, and Dende's symbol for Kami replaced the Turtle School's. I tied the satchel to by belt.
"KAMI!" Turmeric shouted in disgust. "Orlock! KILL HIM!" He screamed at the vampire. Orlock stepped foreword, licking his lips.
"No!" I heard a shout. It came from Talbot. "Master, please, let me have him. It's been so long sense I've had prey." Turmeric nodded.
"Very well."
The crowd expanded the room between us, making a ring just like when I fought the Champion.
Talbot threw off his cloak, revealing a white muscle shirt, and jeans. He wore no shoes. He had a fairly built frame, but it did not look like he would be a challenge. Then I sensed a different power, latent deep inside him.
He looked at me, his feral yellow eyes seemed glow. He grinned, eyeing me as if I was a one of his steaks. Then, I noticed that his face, which once had a five o'clock shadow, had grown darker as more hair had sprouted from it. Did I imagine that?
His grin turned into a grimace as his eyes suddenly shot from me, going out of focus. He began to scream in agony. The power I felt inside him was coming out. But, it was so completely different then any ki I had felt before. It did not come because he trained for it, but came because of his need. His need for food. The power I felt was a manifestation of his hunger.
His muscles began to budge, looking as if they would burst from his steadily darkening skin. His clothes were shredded as he grew, hair replacing them. His face was the last to change. His screams of agony turned into a howl as his face extended into a muzzle, his teeth grew into fangs, and hair covered his entire body.
Lon Talbot was a werewolf.
Faced with something I had seen exclusively in movies, my mind began to race. What did I know about werewolves? In the back of my shocked mind, the answer came. You become one if it drew your blood. They transform in the light of a full moon. But, there hadn't been a moon for three hundred years! They must have gained the ability to transform at will, simply evolution at work.
My thoughts were broken as the Talbot/wolf howled and lunged at me. Its speed surprised me. With its bulk, I expected it to be much slower.
I narrowly escaped its claws at it swiped at me. I leapt back, keeping my distance. I already had my Oorazu transformation. Who knew what would happen if this thing got me? I decided I didn't want to find out.
Snarling, the beast ran at me, attacking with its claws and fangs. I dodged its attacks, landing a punch in its furry gut. The wolf hit the ground with a yelp. How do you kill werewolves?
With silver, the answer came, and my heart sunk. I didn't have any silver, and I didn't know where to find some.
The wolf ran at me again, it's power seeming to grow with its hunger and frustration at killing its prey. I was forced to raise my ki just to avoid its blows. I leapt over it, and shot a ball into its back. Its scream was almost human. The wolf had probably never experienced pain when transformed.
I flew upwards, buying some time to think of a strategy. One of the demons made a move to chase me, but stopped at Turmeric's command.
I looked back, and Talbot was gone! I scanned the area below me, but I didn't see him. Damn it! Where did he ... SHIT!
The wolf was suddenly parallel to me, it's jaws agape, and its claws stretched toward me neck. I was saved by my instincts; I spun, catching him with a hook kick. With a yelp, the beast hurtled toward the ground. Showing no sign of injury, it immediately began to climb up one of the stone pillars for another shot at me. I flew up higher as it leapt at me, flying out of its reach.
I needed to think of a strategy. But I realized that I didn't have time. Garlic was going to arrive in less then an hour.
"Kamehame..." I cupped my hands, flying closer to the ground. Talbot took the bait. With a howl, it bounded up another pillar, and leapt at me.
"HA!" I screamed, and released the beam inches before the thing was upon me. It let out a loud yelp as the beam hit it, pushing toward the ground. It exploded as soon as it made contact with the ground.
The dust blew away, and I saw the motionless body of wolf. I slowly floated toward the ground, trying to slow my breathing. My fight was far from finished. I still had Orlock and the demons to deal with...
With an earsplitting howl, the wolf leapt from the ground. Stunned, I was barely able to catch it's arms inches before it's claws reached my neck. My feet hit the ground, and I pushed back, trying to gain leverage over the beast. If I let go, I was too close to it to dodge its attacks.
It leaned in, it's muzzle dripping with saliva. I felt its breath on my neck. I screamed, and pushed harder, but the beast was still getting leverage. In moments, its fangs would sink into my neck, and it would be over...
Talbot suddenly went limp. I let go, and its enormous body collapsed on the ground, it's breathing ragged, slowing, and its eyes wide with pain and surprise. He began to shrink, the fur slowly melting back into the skin, as death overtook the beast.
What the hell happened?
I glanced over the body, and saw a bloody hole in the back, the size of a bullet... I looked up. Jack Satan stood there, still in the firing position. The others were getting over their shock, and began to running at Jack. Throwing off his cloak, he ran toward me. The other's stopped abruptly. They weren't about to risk getting close to me.
Strapped around Jack were cloves of garlic, various shapes of wooden stakes, magazines of bullets, and daggers.
"Told ya I was prepared." He said, grinning.
"Thanks."
"No problem. I just had to wait till you guys stopped moving so I could get off a clean shot." He said.
"Orlock! Kill the traitors!" I heard Turmeric scream.
Vlad Orlock stepped toward us. I felt Jack press something in my hand. A wooden stake.
"You attack form the front, I'll try to sneak up on 'im." He whispered. I nodded. "Aim for the heart."
Jack and I separated, I moving toward the vampire, Jack taking a step backward. I kept my eyes on the vampire, trying to keep his attention. His white fangs gleamed in the starlight; his red eyes seemed to glow.
"You couldn't even defeat that mangy wolf." He said. "What chance do you think you could possibly have against me?"
Before I could respond, his eyes met mine. What he said seemed to make sense. What could I do? All I had to beat him was a measly piece of wood.
"Yes, that's right. Accept the inevitable." His voice filled my head, pushing out all other thoughts. He walked closer to me, his slow stride becoming faster as he gained confidence.
"Drop you weapon. Admit defeat." My grip on the stake loosened. While my vision was fixed on Orlock's eyes, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack running at Orlock, approaching at the side. With a yell, he leapt, stake raised high. Without breaking his connection with me, he hit Jack with a backhand, sending him sprawling to the ground.
I hope he' s not too hurt, I thought dully. My mind wasn't really on Jack. The vampire's eyes seemed to grow larger, glow brighter. The stake in my hand was beginning to feel heavy. Orlock came closer, now only a few feet away from me.
"Drop that weapon, admit defeat." He said again, his voice becoming more powerful, almost overriding my own thoughts.
Yes, admit defeat. That's what I wanted to do. It was hopeless, really. What chance did I stand against such creatures? It was folly from the beginning. The vampire was now in arm's reach of me, his fangs seeming to grow in the anticipation of blood.
Even if I did somehow defeat them, in two years, I would have to face an even greater foe. An entire army, against just us five. What chance do we have? I could feel the vampire's breath on my neck. It's better if I just give up now. At least I'll be able to see Ann again.
Ann?
Isn't she the one I was doing this for? Isn't it because of her I am defending the Earth? But Ann is dead. He'll kill me! I don't want to die! No! I don't want to die!
"Noooo!" I screamed, breaking the vampire's trance a moment before he broke the covering the veins of my neck. Orlock shot backwards, hissing like a snake about to strike.
In frantic desperation born from the realization that I had almost died, I raised the stake high, and plunged it into the vampire's chest. His scream was so high pitched I could barely hear it. He sunk to his knees, blood pouring out of his mouth. He fell to the ground, nothing more then ash when he landed.
I looked to when Orlock had hit Jack. He was held by some of the other men, a knife held inches away from his neck.
"Kill him, my brethren!" I heard Turmeric scream. He was getting angry. "He can't defeat all three of you!"
Immediately, the three demons were in front of me. They had taken off their cloaks, revealing the rags they wore for clothing.
I assumed a defensive position. I knew that I didn't have a lot of time, but I couldn't attack three directly. I would have to get them to make the first move.
Luckily, they were not true martial artists. They attacked almost immediately, separating so that they would attack my front sides. Waiting until the last moment, I zanzokened behind the green one, Cinnamon. He left his back completely exposed as they attacked my image. I hit him in the back, sending him into the largest one, Cumin. Not giving them time to realize what happened, I attacked the smallest one, Chile. Being the fastest of the three, he was the quickest to recover, but not quick enough.
I hit him hard in the gut, spun, and kicked him in the head. He was sent to the ground, and the other two were immediately upon me. I spun around, kicking Cinnamon in the side. Seeing an opening, Cumin lunged for my head. He was too slow, and I dodged the blow by millimeters, hitting him several times in his exposed stomach.
Raising my ki, I leapt away from them, each still getting up off the ground. I had been lucky. If any of them had any fighting sense, I might not have been able to pull that off.
All three attacked at once. I didn't have time to get away, so I had to defend. Luckily, they were enraged by their previous humiliation, and their attacks were sloppy and poorly coordinated. I blocked the best I could, trying to find an opening to escape or at least take one out.
Chile gave me such an opening, and I went for it. Millimeters before my fist reached his face, I felt pain in the back of my head. Idiot! I had left my back completely open to attack. I was stunned for a moment, and they pounced on me, beating me with their fists and claws.
I spun on the ground, sweeping one of them. Raising my ki violently to push the other two back, I leapt up, and shot into the sky. Spitting out the blood that had been collecting in my mouth, I pushed ki into my hand, aimed at the largest, slowest demon, and fired. He dodged the ball, but the explosion sent him and the humans near him flying.
Cinnamon appeared behind me, aiming a strike to my exposed back. I spun and caught his fist, pulling him into my knee. He gasped, spitting out saliva and blood. Chile leapt at me from the ground. I grabbed Cinnamon's neck, and threw him at his comrade, sending a ball of ki flying after him. Chile caught the recovering Cinnamon, and was unable to dodge the ki. To my satisfaction, both demons out screams as the explosion engulfed them. They were sent hurtling back to the ground. Cinnamon managed to land on his feet, Chile landed on his head. After a moment's hesitation, he too got to his feet.
Cinnamon began to scream, clawing at his arm. He began to tear off his own flesh! He seemed to grab something at his shoulder, and pulled. A giant sword immerged from his flesh! I glanced at Chile, and saw he was pulling two long knives from his legs.
I spat, disgusted. The two demons attacked, flying at me, their weapons bared. I would have to take one out fast; I couldn't dodge their blades forever.
They were both much more skilled with blades then hand-to-hand combat, and I had difficulties just dodging. I felt the cold bite of the steel as the blades skimmed my limbs. I didn't even have time to think about taking the offensive.
Raising my ki almost to its peak, I shot backwards, then forwards again for almost a foot, sending a zanzoken at the demons. They took the bait, realizing the trick only after their blades had found my image, and I was behind them.
Screaming, I slammed into Chile's back, sending him to the ground. With barely at thought, I turned on Cinnamon, aiming for his head. He shot back, swinging his gigantic sword at my head. I snapped my head back, and kicked at his gut. He shot upwards in the air. Now that he had leverage, he swung his sword again. I had no time to dodge, and, out of desperation, grabbed the blade with my palms. We struggled for a moment, his blade an inch from my face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chile flying toward us. Pushing my ki as high as it would go, and swung my arms around. I gave Cinnamon a swift kick to the gut, causing him to release his sword. The momentum of my swing sent him hurtling toward Chile.
Within a fraction of a second, I flipped the sword around, grabbed the dull edge of the sword, and threw it as hard as I could. It entered Cinnamon's back, went through, entered Chile's stomach and went through. The momentum kept them going, pining them to the ground.
"Kamehameha!" I screamed, releasing the beam. It hit the demons, leaving nothing but ash in a crater.
Breathing deeply, I sunk back to the ground. It wasn't over. I knew I hadn't killed Cumin. I scanned the area, but I didn't see him. I could feel his ki, however. It was...
Too late, I realized it was underneath me. The huge demon exploded from the ground behind me, bearing a long sickle. He swung at my neck. I barely dodged it, noticing a few small hairs fall from my head.
I watched the hairs fall, almost in slow motion. I don't have time to watch my hair fall! I don't have time to fight him! I have to get to Turmeric!
I spun, belting him in the gut. He let out a gasp of surprise. I used it to strike his sickle, breaking it in half. In the force of the blow, Cumin lost his grip on the weapon. In almost one entire motion, I grabbed the bladed end out of midair, leapt up, swung, and cleaved the demon's head clean off.
I landed, dropped the sickle, and wiped the blood off my face. It was all over the front of my gi as well, but I didn't have time to deal with that.
"The one to give me the traitors' heads will take Garlic's side with me!" I heard Turmeric scream. I tried to find where he was, but I was immediately attacked by the humans who had been petrified just hours ago. Some brought out their curved daggers. Others just attacked with their fists. But they all attacked at once.
I didn't have any time to aim, to watch my opponents, or to think. I went into an autopilot of attacks, hitting whatever moved. There were so many! As soon as I knocked one away, two more sprang up.
Suddenly, I felt an excruciating pain shoot through my body. I had a moment find the cause before they pounced on me. Grimes had grabbed my tail! He must have realized that was the weak spot he saw in the Budoukia. I fell to the ground in pain. I was utterly powerless to defend myself from their attacks. Their fists bruised me, their daggers cut me.
Muffled by the screams of my attackers, I heard a dull bang. Immediately, I was relived of my pain! Screaming, I pushed my ki as high as it would go, sending my attackers flying. I looked behind me, and saw Jack, his gun still pointed at Grimes lifeless body. He gave a quick smile, then quickly turned his weapon on an attacker of his own.
That was twice he had saved my life that night.
I took the offensive, moving from one person to the next, far to fast for them to see. I made my attacks fast, but hit hard enough that my opponents wouldn't get up after I hit them. Slowly, I was making my way to Turmeric.
His eyes caught mine. The demon seemed to be giddy. Maybe his fear is making him go insane, I thought gleefully.
Behind me, I heard Jack scream. I turned around, and saw he was holding the nozzle of the gun, using it like a club. His left arm was covered in blood.
A man grabbed my leg. Another leapt on my back, his dagger at my throat. Two more grabbed my arms.
I have to get to Jack!
I flew into the air, my attackers still clinging to me. I flew strait up, as fast as I could. All but the one on my back lost their grip and fell to the ground. I grabbed the last one's dagger, flipped it in my hand, and shoved it behind me. He fell as well.
"JACK! RUN!" I screamed, cupping my hands. He looked up at me, and without questioning, ran.
"Kamehame..." I pushed all the ki I could between my hands. The remaining humans below me looked up, probably waiting for their chance to deliver my head to Turmeric. Everything I had seen while in that castle came back to me, and with relish that almost frightened me, I screamed:
"HAAA!" The blue beam exploded from my palms, almost too fast for those below me to realize what was happening. My attack hit the ground and exploded. Within a second, they were nothing more then ash.
Thunder boomed, and for the first time I noticed it had begun to rain. When had that happened? I glanced at the ground, and saw Jack's form lying face down.
As I reached him, I saw a large gash running from his left shoulder to his collarbone. I reached for small bag at my waist feeling for a sensu bean.
"It's ok," I said, my voice shaking from exhaustion, "eat this and you'll be fine." He tried to say something, but his voice was so weak I couldn't hear it. I grasped a sensu in my bag and...
An enormous stone hand shot from the sky and grabbed Jack. Before I could react, I felt strong fingers close around my body as well. I screamed as I was lifted up, the huge hand slowly tightening its grip.
"If only I had known... I might not have let you live as long." Said a voice. What? Who?
Turmeric.
But, it was not he. It looked like a statue.
"If I had known you were Kami's whelp, I would have killed you long ago." Said the statue. It raised its hands, slowly closing them. The stone hand holding me tightened its grip. Despite the pain, a cold chill ran through me. Had he known about my plans all along?
"Have you figured it out yet?" The living stone said. It looked as if it was on the verge of laughter. "I've known your intentions from the start. I knew you broke into my study. I knew you were waiting to see the key to attack. I've known everything! You never stood a chance."
"Ho..." I tried to speak, but I the stone hands were squeezing the air out me.
"Do you think a simple charm to poison food is the limit of my talents?" the demon statue said, grinning. "I have studied magic for over a hundred years. Nothing is out of my reach! Even stone is under my command!" Slowly, my oxygen starved brain made the connection.
"This entire castle is one large golem!" He said. "I constructed it out of magic, and it follows my every command! I see all inside of its walls!" So the real Turmeric was in the castle!
Even though it caused me great pain, I turned my neck towards the castle. It was changing its form! Turmeric was changing it from inside. That's why he led went outside to announce Garlic's coming. He didn't want me to see his ability until he was able to ambush me.
"But, you have served your purpose." It said. I could barely breath, but the stone Turmeric went on without me questioning him. "You have eliminated all the competition for Garlic's right hand. Why do you think I let them at you one by one, when they would have succeeded had they attacked together? Now I will be the only one to greet Master Garlic when he comes!"
That bastard used me! Anger flushed over me, but the pain subsided it.
The stone Turmeric held his hands high, and clamped his hands shut. I gasped as the stone hand squeezed, slowly crushing my bones. I heard Jack scream in agony, then, more terrible then the scream, he fell silent. His ki slowly faded away.
No.
The pain disappeared. Rage swept over me, and compared to that, pain was nothing.
"TURMERIC!" I screamed in fury, the stone hand crumbling under my power, my rage. The golem in Turmeric's shape had one second to contemplate the mistake it had made before I crushed its head.
Just stone. How I wanted it to be flesh. I wanted nothing better then to reached the real demon, and tear his flesh away. To break each and every of his bones. To send him into agony a hundred times worse then Jack had felt.
When I reached Turmeric, death would be a friend to him.