Chapter 12: Men of honour
They waited for the best part of the day. There seemed to be no sign of the Nazgul's appearance although the rain had started. Gandalf understood the significance in this omen. It was a warning from the gods, his creators. They were worried. They feared for the safety of Middle Earth, but realised they were powerless to stop what would inevitably happen if things continued the way they had been as of late. From the Gray Havens they sent out their warnings. The rain poured down mercilessly and all across Middle Earth the demi-gods knew it would not stop until evil was finally conquered. Not many things worried Gandalf the Grey, but this did. If the gods themselves were worried, maybe he had overestimated the hope in his plan. He stood on the wall surrounding Gondor, next to the steel gates used for entry to the realm. Now they were being used to stop entry. As he looked down at the thick poles of iron, he hoped they would withstand the power of the Dark Lord, yet he did not suspect they could.
Gwaihir was the first to feel the rain. He was flying a mile above Gondor and as the first drop hit his left wing, he felt a burning sensation that made his feathers ruffle. He did not usually like the rain but this was different. The rain had meaning this time. It was trying to communicate, to convey a message. He could not, however, decipher it. Only Gandalf could do that in the present company and Gwaihir did not feel like leaving his post to ask the wizard. Instead he looked down and saw the mortals high atop Gondor. He then looked to the East and saw Mordor, forcing his feathers to ruffle once more. Something was circling the centre of the land. It was too small to make out from this distance but it looked round and pink. The Windlord decided to keep an eye on it but not warn the others until the object was found to be a threat.
Legolas and Gimli stood close to each other though several miles of brick separated them as they stood motionless, eyes fixed ahead in watch for danger. For once, marijuana was the last thing on their mind and they had become as serious as this story now has. Not even the rain affected them. It poured over them, but did not move them. They suspected it would be pouring down over all of them. This was true, except for Gandalf who had created a shield around his body to protect himself from it. He did not mind getting wet, but this particular rain disturbed him like few things ever had.
Goku did not know what was going on. He remembered something about defending Gondor and figured he should stay put where he was, but his stomach was growling, telling him to eat. Now was not the time, however. There were more important things even to Goku than food. He was the most powerful of the eight fighters and even though he thought he was equally as important as the rest of them, he was infinitely wrong. Krillan stood near him on the Western Wall. He had chosen this area to defend because an attack from the west was unlikely since Mordor and the Dark Lord were situated in the East. He was scared, but still stronger than most of the company. He was just not sure if he could handle the pressure anymore as he looked round at Goku just in time to see the first drop of rain spill onto the Saiyan's hair.
Piccolo did not mind the sudden change in weather despite the fact he came from a planet where it seldom rained. Trivial matters such as this did not bother him, especially when he had a mission to carry out. He had been completely motionless for hours and that is how he planned to stay till danger arose.
Aragorn was not still, however. He looked at the land that was rightfully his and realised he had a duty to protect it. The people inside the walls were his people. One day he would return and reclaim his throne and once more be king of Gondor. For now, he had to make sure there was a Gondor to return to though. He faced ahead once more and hoped he would not have to witness the destruction of his realm. Gondor meant more to him than he let on and after this was over, he planned to return to Rivendell and see Arwen again. They would come back and marry here, as promised, and rule over Gondor once more as was meant to be. A loud screech could be heard from far above. He looked up to see Gwaihir, the Windlord motionless in the sky. The giant eagle began its descent against its will and landed on the rooftops of Gondor.
High above Mount Doom, Buu bore Hercule as they looked down into the fiery pit below. Buu's face wore a curious expression, unlike his passenger's which took on an appearance of complete and utter fear. He trembled almost violently as Buu floated motionless above the volcano. Too scared to speak, yet too worried not to. He had no choice but to trust the monster who had quickly become his friend again.
"What down there?" the 'monster' suddenly asked him. Hercule was still too frightened to answer. Hovering above a lava pit was not his idea of a good time.
"Me go look," continued Buu, breaking Hercule's silence.
"NO!" screamed the champion. "It's too dangerous. You'll get yourself killed!"
Buu looked confused. Baby's discover at an early age what will and won't cause pain, but Buu did not have this luxury, as few things ever seemed to harm him. For this reason he was eager to test Hercule's theory.
"How you know?" asked Buu. Rather than answering him, Hercule took off his cloak and cast it down into the volcano. It floated to the bottom where it caught fire before touching the flames, then disintegrated as it entered them. The fiery magma rose higher than Hercule had expected it to, making him jump. He let out a small scream and steadied himself on Buu once more. "Take us down Buu," he commanded. Buu immediately obliged
They settled down on a ledge, somewhere closer to the heart of the volcano. An entrance had been forged, seemingly a long time ago by the look of it. Stairs led up to the entrance and Hercule realised the ledge he was not standing on must have a purpose.
"Where cloak go?" Buu asked.
"It melted, Buu," replied Hercule. "It was destroyed."
Buu still seemed confused. He did not ask any more questions regarding the cloak or the volcano though. Something more important now occupied his mind.
"Where Buu's toy?" he asked.
Hercule stood on the edge of the platform and gazed hypnotically into the pit. The fire moved in all directions, jumping and swimming, each flame fighting another in one big battle. They formed shapes of spears and arrows, powerful swords clashing against each other. The fire roared furiously in places and screamed in agony at others. Blood curling screams that sent shivers down Hercule's spine. And at the centre of it all shone the all-seeing eye, visible due to the parting of the magma. The battle raged around it as it watched, laughing. It saw everything. It saw Hercule. The champion looked on out of fear, terrified that taking his eyes off the eye would have dire consequences. Only the intervention of Buu broke his gaze. He felt the monster's hand on his shoulder and looked round, losing his balance and fell into the pit.
Goku heard a voice and turned. "They're here!" he heard it call and recognised it as Aragorn's. Wasting no time, he translocated over to him to see what was wrong. He appeared beside the ranger who was still shouting for the others.
"They're here," he repeated upon seeing Goku.
"Who are?" asked the saiyan.
Aragorn pointed to the sky and Goku made out a black cloud, from which emerged five black riders on eagles.
"Mounted on fallen eagles," commented Aragorn. "How ironic that Gwaihir should fall at the hands of those who fell from his grace."
Goku wasted no time trying to figure out what Aragorn had meant. Instead, he took the ranger's hand and translocated them both to the gates. When they arrived, he disappeared once more, leaving his passenger behind.
"The Nazgul are here," Aragorn said to himself, drawing his sword.
A minute later they all stood together by the gates of Gondor. Goku had transported them one at a time in the same way he had Aragorn. Now they watched the riders approaching slowly from the black cloud that led back to the wasteland of Mordor. The rain poured down heavier and the eagles could now be heard.
"We have lost our arial scout!" remarked Legolas.
"Yes," replied Gandalf, "but he has served his purpose. Gwaihir's death was not in vain for it bought us time. Only by not wasting this time can we ensure he did not die in vain."
"Gandalf is right," said Aragorn as he paced back and forth, the look of a desperate man on his face.
"That is why I shall waste little time on words." The others listened eagerly.
"You do not fight for your friends," he told them. "You fight for your country! You are all now men of Gondor. You are men of honour! And that is how you shall be at the fall of the Nazgul. We fight till they have left our land, dead or alive. Draw your weapons and prepare yourself. The time to fight is now!"
As he finished talking, a black rider swooped down at him. He ducked as he rose Anduril, planting it in the throat of the fallen eagle and showering his head with the dead animal's blood. He looked up and let the rain wash over him, channelling the blood from his face; then he looked at the others. His gaze said it all. They drew their weapons and jumped the Nazgul as it fell.
Thinking fast was not something Buu did often, but when his judgement told him it needed to be done, he could be incredibly skilful. He flew towards Hercule who had almost reached the pit. The champion felt his skin begin to catch fire and let out what he thought would be his last scream. Something strange was happening though. He was now looking at the flames as they jumped to grab him, narrowly missing at each attempt. He looked up to see Buu holding him from above. The fat, pink marshmallow pulled the champ up and placed him on his back.
"Thank you Buu!" panted Hercule. "You saved my life!"
Buu smiled, but the smile was soon wiped from his face as the fire rose and caressed his skin. He let out a high pitched yelp and looked down to see the flames pulling his stretchy flesh from him. A large pink mound was ripped from his body and he saw it melt as the flames pulled it into their lake.
"How?" was all Buu could ask. He could not find the words to express what he was feeling because he did not know such feelings existed. He was shocked, scared and hurt all the same time. No mere object had caused him to feel pain before. Few living things had either, but he had learnt early on that this was possible. Never an object though. He felt a sudden wave of fear rush over him and flew at great speed out of the volcano. Hercule struggled to hold on and finally balanced himself when they had flown far from Mount Doom.
The champion could see something was troubling his friend.
"Are you okay Buu?" he asked.
Buu did not answer. He simply flew on in the direction of Barad-Dur. When he finally spoke it was only to say "Is this where Buu's toy is?" Hercule pointed towards the tower, somehow knowing they were headed in the right direction.
"That way Buu," he said. "That's where your toy is."
As they flew on, he began to feel guilty for exploiting Buu. The creature had once again revealed that it had feelings and Hercule now felt he had to treat it as he would any other feeling creature. He suffered in silence though. Guilt or no guilt, the world was in danger and Buu had a better chance of defeating the Dark Lord than he had. He would never admit that fact, but he knew it deep inside. Barad-Dur approached and Buu began to feel as determined as he was scared. Determined he regain his toy by any means necessary. He was unsure if he was going to like the means however.
Aragorn and Goku remained on the walls. The latter fired kamehamehas at each of the Nazgul, destroying their beasts. They jumped from the eagles as they died and fell to Gondor where they immediately got to their feet and joined the battle. Legolas and Gimli had set to work on the first of the Nazgul. He fended off their attacks until he could draw his sword, then thrust the weapon at the elf and dwarf as they withdrew to better aim their own weapons. Gimli charged at the Nazgul with his axe, swinging it wildly. His attack was dismissed, however, by the Black hooded former man who met the dwarf's axe with his sword and forced him to into the wall, proving to be the stronger swordsman. Legolas readied an arrow and aimed it at the beast. It flew with tremendous accuracy and landed in its back. The creature stumbled and almost dropped his sword, but rose again before he could fall. It turned to face Legolas now. Another arrow was aimed at him and released soon after. He lifted his sword with incredible speed and deflected it before it could do any damage. Legolas' eyes widened and he lowered his bow. Suddenly, the Nazgul stumbled once more and fell. As he struggled to get up, the elf could make out the cause of his fall. Gimli's axe had been driven hard into its back. The dwarf now got to his feet and smiled at his friend from the opposite side of the black rider. "That's one up for me!" he laughed. Legolas did not return his friend's smile however. Instead he fixed his eyes on the Nazgul who just a second ago showed no signs of life, yet was now rising. It stood before them once more, pulling the axe from his back and tossing it against Gondors walls. Its laugh could be heard from behind its hood as it pointed its sword at Legolas. Slowly approaching the elf, it lengthened its arm and prepared to plunge its weapon into him. Gimli ran at the rider and drove his clenched fists into it, but the Nazgul simply swung his free arm at the dwarf, sending him skidding across the ground. Legolas quickly readied another arrow and shot it at the beast. Once more, it used its 'shield' to defend itself. The arrow fell and the rider advanced. Using all his speed, the elf ran. He looked around for help as he fled the Nazgul but quickly stopped in his tracks; His friends were close, but in the same situation as he was in. Each of them fought a black rider and the battle was in full swing all around the gates of Gondor. Aragorn and Goku circled another of the Nazgul and Krillan, Piccolo and Gandalf each had one all to himself. None of them appeared to be doing any better than he was. He turned once more and saw his opponent, arms folded, laughing at him. Gimli was conscious, but unable to move. He lowered his bow and wondered if it was still possible to defend Gondor.
Goku zanzookened behind a black rider but failed to land a punch. Even the combined effort of himself and Aragorn wasn't enough to damage the beast. The power they had been given by Vegeta was greater than they could ever have imagined, yet still they fought despite their ever decreasing confidence. Goku glanced at the small buildings and the tower in the centre of the land. As they fought, Denethor sat in the tower, playing chess, unaware of the chaos that was going on around him.
"I need to fire something at him!" Goku shouted.
Aragorn did not take his eyes off the Nazgul as he parried his sword at it. "You can't," he replied. "You might destroy half of Gondor!"
Goku continued sending blows and failing. He knew there was no other option. "Lead him away from the buildings!" he shouted to Aragorn. "Get him by the gates."
Aragorn did not acknowledge the request but obliged anyway. He began to slowly work his way backwards as the Nazgul followed. He was no longer aiming, as he did not intend to land his sword in his opponent who had apparently not heard the plan. Goku joined Strider in leading the Nazgul to the gates. While Strider took it back, Goku led it to the left. They were growing weary and losing energy fast. "Are we close enough?" Goku asked.
"Almost," Strider replied. "Just hang on a little longer!" The Nazgul struck a blow in Aragorn's stomach and he fell backwards, taking the opportunity to roll towards the gate. "Now Goku!" he screamed, in some degree of pain. Goku zanzookened back to his starting position and placed his hands together by his side. He moved his feet some distance apart and bent his knees slightly. "Ka……" he said calmly, controlling the energy he had left. "me………." The Nazgul approached Aragorn who was still on the ground. "ha……" It lifted its sword, hands placed together clasping it above the future king. "me…………." Letting out a laugh, it began the sword's short, but terrible, journey. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Strider rolled out the way again and dived to safety as the powerful blast approached and thrust him into northern wall. The Nazgul did not see it coming, but he felt it burn him as it encased his invisible body. He screamed from another realm, unable to see what was happening, yet painfully aware. He was not dead though. He could still move and was recovering fast. Legolas saw this and acted. He lifted his bow and aimed an arrow at the creature's chest. With accuracy only an elf can achieve, he let the arrow fly and saw it strike the beast in the heart. It could sense the arrow coming. It did not know where from though. It panicked, fearing for its life, sensing its final moments in both its realms. When the arrow struck, he felt relief. He lay down and accepted his fate, enjoying the long earned release he had deserved. Finally he could relax, no longer bound to the One Ring. No longer forced to serve its master. No one saw his smile as he passed away from Middle Earth forever.
Meanwhile, our pseudo-heroes had reached the tower of Barad-Dur. They gazed up to the top of the three hundred foot tall building, located in the exact centre of Mordor. Lightning struck from the raincloud that had settled over most of the land and broke loose a steel girder which proceeded to fall to the bridge that Buu and Hercule were now standing on. They jumped out the way as it landed, destroying a section of the bridge which fell into the plains below. Judging by the time it took to land, Hercule worked out that the ground was a long way beneath them. The gap in the bridge was too big to jump and Buu had already opened the huge iron doors before them. There was no turning back now.
The champion hid by the doors as his companion entered alone. A bright light exploded on Buu's face upon entry and he shielded his eyes momentarily until they were used to it. When he opened them again, he was able to make out distinct shapes. His vision was still a bit blurry but improving fast. He could see a large throne in the centre of the room. Windows surrounded the walls, providing the light although there was no light outside for them to transport. They seemed, magically, to be the source of the brightness. Two more forms could be made out now. That of a man sitting on the throne and the other a second man, kneeling beside him. The former was, of course, Vegeta. He remained sitting. The latter, Khamul, stood up and walked towards Buu. Hercule put his head round the door to see what was going on.
"Why do you disturb Lord Vegeta?" the Nazgul asked.
Buu looked over his shoulder and realised Hercule was no longer there. The champion quickly returned to hiding once more upon seeing that his friend was looking for him.
"Why are you here?" Khamul asked, sounding impatient.
"Buu want shiny toy!" demanded Buu.
The Nazgul was confused, though it obviously did not show.
"I think I know what he wants," Vegeta interrupted. "Majin Buu. Long time no see," he said casually as he approached the pink monster with a grin on his face.
"Me know you!" replied Buu.
Vegeta let out a short, quiet laugh. That's right Buu," he replied. "But I'm not the same person you once did battle with." He pointed to the Ring that hung on a string around his neck. "I'm a lot stronger now."
Majin Buu's expression remained the same.
"What's wrong Buu?" Vegeta asked. "I thought you liked to fight strong people." His tone was more one of mocking than concern.
"Where Buu's toy?" Buu asked.
Vegeta made a signal to Khamul who retreated to another room. Buu waited anxiously. When the Black Rider returned, he held a dragonball in his hands.
"Is this what you're looking for?" the Dark Lord asked. Buu's eyes opened. "I have five more if you're interested, Buu."
Majin Buu reached out to take the dragonball, but Khamul pulled it back.
"It will come at a cost." Vegeta smiled. "We each have something the other wants. You want this dragonball and I want to test my new strength. What better way to do that than by facing you again."
Buu scowled at Vegeta. "Me destroy you! Me make you dead!" he exclaimed.
"Ha ha ha!" laughed Vegeta. "I take it that means yes then." He tucked the Ring into his top and felt it become heavier. "Let's go Buu," he grinned as he flew out the tower.
Back in Gondor, the Nazgul were finding themselves heavily outnumbered. With only four remaining on the battlefield, having to fight against seven was becoming increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, they did not give up. Vegeta's arrogance had taught them that they were each more powerful than any of their foes and this did wonders for their confidence. It was, of course, a naïve perspective though. True, they were extremely powerful, moreso than most beings on the planet, but among their current enemies there was one who possessed a strength far superior to theirs. This of course was Goku. Under his calm exterior lay a hidden force he seldom revealed to anyone. A force he was now considering using to aid his current predicament. The Black Rider he had been fighting had disappeared shortly after Legolas' arrow had struck him. With only four remaining, he felt as confident as they did.
But another existed with power greater than that of Goku's. His power was not in strength, however, and there was not much he could do to help them just now though he tried his hardest for he too was part of the battle. Gandalf raised his staff and sent his black rider flying into the eastern wall, near the gates where its friend had been destroyed. Their fight had been at a stalemate since it had started and was getting them nowhere as the Nazgul could do nothing against Gandalf's magic and the wizard nothing against the Nazgul's strength, bar keeping him at bay which was what he had been doing from the start. He needed help and now looked around for it. "Legolas!" he shouted, spotting the elf . "Join me. I cannot defeat it by myself."
"What about Gimli?" the elf asked. The dwarf was still down and the closest Nazgul to him was ready to fight again.
"I'll take care of him," came another voice. It was Aragorn's. The king had decided to repay Legolas for killing his Nazgul by returning the gesture. "Go aid Gandalf, Legolas," he told the elf. "No harm will come to Gimli."
The elf agreed and ran to the wizard. As he made his way across the battlefield, Strider lifted Anduril and swung it at the Nazgul. It screeched loudly and stepped back in shock. Gimli smiled and slowly began to regain his strength.
The newly formed duo of Gandalf and Legolas was not as effective as the wizard had hoped they would be. The combination of his magic and Legolas' accuracy failed to worry the Nazgul who simply deflected their attacks with his sword and accepted the fact that he was now powerless to attack. Once again, Gandalf realised this would do no good. He only hoped the others were doing better than he was. Legolas fired another arrow. Although the Nazgul was rooted to his spot by Gandalf's magic, it still managed to dodge it and remained unharmed. The elf muttered something in elfish and readied another arrow.
Meanwhile, Krillan had been joined by Goku. The pair sent rapid blasts of energy to their opponent who simply deflected them with his hands, his weapon still being sheathed.
"Haaaaaa!" it sneered at them. "My Lord Vegeta has warned me of your attacks. They are powerless against me!"
Krillan scowled and rose his arm. "Destructo disk!" he yelled, sending the powerful energy blade towards the black rider who struck it away with his arm. It flew into the outer walls of Gondor and disintegrated. "You are very persistent," it hissed. "Lord Vegeta also warned me of that. It will do you no good."
"We don't need advice from you!" Krillan shouted.
"Leave it Krillan," advised Goku. "We'll find a way to defeat him eventually."
The arrow missed the Nazgul once more and it was now capable of moving again. It laughed from behind its cloak and charged swordfirst at Legolas. The elf jumped out of it path, with speed and agility only his kind could achieve, and rolled to safety. It was then Gandalf had an idea.
"Legolas! Fire another arrow!" he shouted. The elf drew his last arrow and obliged. He lined up his bow with the Nazgul's head and aimed perfectly before letting it go. As he did so, the wizard chanted and the arrow began to take on a new course. The Nazgul turned, confused, unaware as to where the object had gone. It circled high above his head and hid from it. Legolas took the opportunity to run across the ground and dive for another arrow he had fired previously. He grabbed it and fired it quickly at the Nazgul. It had no idea what was going on as it searched in vain for the first arrow, which had now vanished completely under Gandalf's spell. It was only when the second arrow struck it in the head that it realised it had been tricked. This was its final thought before it fell, dead, to the ground, becoming nothing more than Legolas' second kill of the day before disappearing, leaving nothing but the blood-stained arrow behind.
"Here's a good place to fight, Buu." Vegeta had taken them to a barren plain close to his tower. The puffy monster landed and faced the Dark Lord, not looking at all happy.
"Well?" What are you waiting for Buu?" Vegeta asked. "I'll let you throw the first punch." The Ring, tucked away in his top, bulged and made itself heavy in disapproval.
"Buu want toy!" demanded the marshmallow once again. "Buu want toy now!"
Vegeta smiled evilly and folded his arms. "You'll get your toy Buu, but first you have to defeat me," he told him. "Now are you going to throw the first punch? I'm a busy man and I don't have all day."
Buu lowered his eyebrows and steam came out of the many holes in his body.
"Very well then," said Vegeta, impatiently. "Have it your way."
He ran towards Buu, propelling himself off the ground with his foot. Disappearing mid-air, he zanzookened behind his bloated former nemesis and kicked him in the head.
"I see you're as weak as ever then Buu," he grinned.
Buu popped his head back into shape and scowled at Vegeta. "Me make you gone!" he screamed and swung a punch. It missed and the two fighters quickly engaged in hand to hand combat. The speed of Vegeta was Impressive even by Buu's standards and he had trouble keeping up. Eventually, he let his guard down and Vegeta landed the next punch. Buu recovered quickly and swung another of his own. It was easily blocked by Vegeta's arm and returned.
"I'm not as weak as I used to be Buu," explained Vegeta. "The Ring has given me power far beyond my wildest dreams. You have no hope of defeating me."
Hercule climbed carefully over the gap in the bridge that had been created by the falling girder. He was terrified of how far the ground was below him, knowing it would mean instant death since Buu was no longer there to save him. It had to be done though. He wanted to stay as close to his friend as possible, plus he knew the man in the black cape was still close by. He made his way along the edge of the gap and reached for the other side. By now, his only support was his right arm, which used all its strength to hold on for the sake of the rest of its body. "Just a little further!" he muttered to himself. With a final swing, he bravely let go and managed to grab onto the other side of the gap. His hand hung over the edge and he screamed as his eyes accidentally took in the sight of the fiery pits and jagged rocks below. The scream stopped when he remembered that the mysterious, cloaked man was still hovering around the area and he struggled to pull himself up. After finally managing it, he felt an overwhelming sense of achievement and took a break. The road ahead was long and dangerous. Two plans formed in his head at once. The first was a way to locate Buu, the other a way to fool the press into thinking he had done all the work. The latter took precedence over the former and he developed it in his head for a few minutes before setting off again. He stuck to the path of the bridge and gulped as he looked up to see Mount Doom some way ahead of him. 'I'll have to walk past that again' he thought to himself, then set off, keeping an eye out for explosions and sounds of a battle.
Piccolo ducked, avoiding a direct assault from his black rider. It grabbed for him and choked him hard. The Namek easily broke it grip with his neck muscles as the Nazgul landed with a thud.
"I know your weakness," he said, standing over the cloaked beast. "Vegeta may have given you incredible power but your abilities are as amateur as they always were. You may have a stronger defence and more impressive attacks, but your bodies are as frail as they've always been. I know that now. It only takes an arrow in a vital organ to kill you, just like any other mortal."
The Nazgul got to his feet and sneered at Piccolo. "You have no idea what you are dealing with," it said. "My abilities are far greater than yours." It jumped back and shot a small ki pulse at him. Piccolo needed only to tilt his head to avoid it. He saw another being fired by the Nazgul's free hand and caught it in his own. Smoke hissed from his hand and he unclenched his fist. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked.
"I can do better," bluffed the Nazgul. It couldn't though. Vegeta had only the time to teach them basic energy attacks and it had just performed the strongest of those.
"That was pathetic," laughed Piccolo. "This is a proper energy attack." He placed his hand to his head and focussed his energy. "Masenka-ho," he said calmly and let out a quick, spiralling beam. It flew towards the Nazgul and hit it in the head. Thinking fast, it raised its hands and forced the beam back. Piccolo fired more power into it and watched his opponent's feet skid back across the ground. "This is only for starters," he laughed. "My next trick will be for my friend, Gohan, who you killed the last time we met." He let loose all his energy and powered his Masenka-ho beam to the nth degree. It overwhelmed the Nazgul and sent him screaming into a nearby building. The Namek wasn't finished though. He picked the rider up and placed his hand to its chest. "Accept your fate," he said quietly as his energy rose once more. The Nazgul smiled to itself and kicked him in the midsection. "I'm not done yet," it hissed and ran to a safe distance. Piccolo lowered his eyebrows and planned his next attack, hell-bent on revenge.
Goku and Krillan were having different, yet equally difficult problems. Several more energy attacks had been fired since Krillan's Destructo disk, but every one of them had missed. Krillan was growing weary and losing confidence. He was eager to end the fight soon and take a well-earned rest.
"Goku, you need to go Super Saiyan!" he told his old friend.
"No!" shouted Goku. "I want to do this without turning Super Saiyan. If it takes a Super Saiyan to defeat one of those guys, think what it'll take to defeat Vegeta!"
"But you still have levels 2 and 3 Goku! Turn Super Saiyan and end this now!
"Not until I have to, Krillan," he insisted.
When they finished arguing, they noticed Legolas had joined them. The three gathered and stood side by side, Goku and Krillan on either side of the elf, kamehamehas at the ready, Legolas with an arrow pointed straight ahead. They aimed and fired.
Buu exploded on the rocks. The kick Vegeta had sent to his stomach had been delivered with enough force to form a crater when the creature hit the ground. So far the Saiyan had not been on the receiving end of a single attack and he planned to keep it that way. Buu got up quickly and flew back to Vegeta, fists at the ready. He swung for the Dark Lord once more and missed once more. Vegeta reversed the attack and punched Buu again, toying with him as he had proven by now that he could easily destroy the monster without much effort. He wanted to test his new powers to their limits, though, and for now he was merely warming up. Grabbing Buu by the arm, he swung him around his head many times, listening to the high pitched scream the attack produced. Eventually, when the pressure had become too much, the arm oozed itself off Buu's body and remained attached to Vegeta as the rest of the body swung into a sharp cliff. The Dark Lord laughed wholeheartedly and threw the arm away.
"Come on Buu. I'll give you time to recover if you need it," he mocked. The creature left the hole he had made in the cliff and saw that his body was full of holes. This wasn't a problem, though. It was simply a matter of regenerating, which he did quickly. Then he saw his arm was missing. A new one oozed from his shoulder and he was whole again, ready to return to the fight, pointless as that was. Buu was too naïve and innocent to realise that he did not have a chance of winning this fight, but he kept fighting anyway.
"Are you ready to fight again Buu?" Vegeta asked. "Good," he replied, anticipating the answer, and he threw a large ball of energy at his opponent who stretched out his arms and deflected it into the cliff behind him.
"Buu make mean man dead!" declared the monster.
"So you keep saying," grinned Vegeta as he folded his arms in arrogance.
The battle of Gondor raged on, now only three of the Nazgul remaining. Gandalf could not believe all three of Goku, Krillan and Legolas could have missed their target. The wizard sat by some steps, deciding merely to observe the fight rather than participate in it. Although he felt he could still be of use, something told him the others would be able to finish it by themselves. The rain way dying down as well which could only be a good sign. The gods had come to the same conclusion he had already made a while back; The fact that there was now hope. Whether or not the war could be won remained to be seen, but Gandalf was certain that his friends would leave victorious in this battle.
Piccolo had replaced Legolas in the team of Goku and Krillan. The elf had gone to rejoin Gimli and Aragorn in their battle. The last Nazgul joined the one now fighting Goku, Krillan and Piccolo.
"Back together at last!" Krillan remarked. "It feels right to be fighting alongside you guys again."
"Shut up and fight!" shouted Piccolo, already throwing ki pulses at the Nazgul. Goku zanzookened behind one and punched it hard in the back. It turned to return the gesture but found there was no one there.
"Over here!" called Goku. He stood a short distance away. The Nazgul ran to him but the Saiyan zanzookened back once again.
"I want you to myself," he explained. The two were now separate from the others and fighting alone, unaided.
"Looks like it's just us then," said Krillan, and for a second the Namek considered throwing the ki pulse he had formed at his partner instead.
Gimli had fully regained his strength and was once again an active part of the battle. He swung his axe at the black rider who caught it in his hand and sent it back to its owner. Legolas felt in his quiver and found he was out of arrows again. He quickly searched around for more and ducked under the Nazgul to grab one he had spotted. Aragorn stood still for a moment, deep in thought.
"Legolas, Gimli!" he called to his friends. "Keep it at bay. I shall return shortly."
Neither the elf nor the dwarf acknowledged him, but carried on fighting, desperately. As they struggled to defend Aragorn's land, the future king ran deep into the city with one thought on his mind.
"You see Buu, you are fighting a losing battle. Haven't you realised that yet?" The Dark Lord stood over the broken body of the creature, grinning. "Remember our last battle Buu?" The question was rhetorical, but he paused for effect nonetheless. "I was forced to sacrifice my life in order to defeat you and still you would not die. When I found that out, I thought nothing could ever destroy you." His expression turned to one of rage. "Until Kakorat managed it." He clenched his fist hard, cracking his knuckles loudly. "But he is no longer the most powerful of the Saiyans," he continued, his smile growing again. "With the power of the Ring, I shall be the most powerful being in the entire universe. First I shall defeat you for good Buu. After that, Kakorat will die." He suddenly became very impatient. "I can't wait any longer. Fourteen years is long enough! I have to defeat Kakorat as soon as possible. I'm sorry to have to end our fight here Buu. You've been nowhere near a worthy opponent but I enjoyed toying with you. Goodbye!" He laughed maniacally and formed a Big Bang in his hands. Flying to the sky, he let it go and watched it cover Buu. As it exploded, he knew the monster was dead for good.
Hercule looked to the sky in all directions. "What was that?" he asked himself. A loud explosion had occurred somewhere nearby. Finally he spotted the smoke from it and ran towards the source using courage he didn't know he had. "I'm coming Buu!" he shouted. The smoke wasn't far from where he was and he quickened his pace to get there sooner, eager to see how his friend was faring.
The Ring shone brightly despite the lack of light. Only the fires and lava pits of Mordor provided light in this dark and barren land. The Dark Lord held the powerful object in his hand, unable to take his eyes off it. He knew the Ring had helped him defeat Buu and he was grateful for this. Especially as it could not argue with him or claim the victory for itself. He had never asked for or accepted help before in his life, but he liked teaming with the Ring, not because of the power it provided, but for an unknown reason. All he knew for sure now was that he could not live without it. That and the fact that he would soon defeat Kakorat as he had Buu. The battle had been quick and easy and his over-inflated ego now bulged, looking for space to grow. As he sat, staring at the Ring, the remains of the creature he had beaten lay around the battlefield. Little pink globules of Buu began to twitch and move slowly. The Dark Lord did not notice this happening, seduced by the Ring. The pieces of Buu moved towards one other, slowly combining and growing in size. When they were big enough, mini Buus formed from the mass of rubbery flesh and flew to the sky. They too combined to form four bigger Buus and it was then Vegeta noticed what was occurring behind his back. He turned and opened his mouth in shock. There was now a giant mass of Buu material folding and merging, forming the shape of the monster he had destroyed mere minutes ago. Finally, when the process was done, Buu hovered before him once more. He descended to the battlefield and stood next to the rock Vegeta was sitting on, looking not at all happy.
"Gimli, do not give up!" shouted Legolas, cheering on his friend. He noticed that the dwarf was tiring and knew he had to do something to aid his friend. His bow was useless now as most of the arrows he had started off with were now lost or destroyed and the Nazgul would have to be cleverly distracted before he could shoot without it noticing. He felt in his quiver and found he had just one arrow remaining of the few he had found on the battleground. Gimli's axe tried hard to find the Nazgul's flesh but it was too fast for the dwarfs weapon to connect.
"I cannot hold him off for much longer, Legolas," the dwarf said. "Lead him elsewhere till I regain my strength."
The elf thought about what he could do but to no avail. His options were severely limited. They had been fighting for fifteen minutes since Strider had left and given up hope of him returning. Legolas knew Strider would not give up, but wondered if he had encountered some other foe along the way. He looked to the direction the ranger had run off in and used his elf vision to search for him. A bright light came into view and he made out the shape of a man running with it. Suddenly he brightened himself.
"Gimli, Aragorn has returned!" he yelled.
"How long till he gets here?" asked the dwarf, between swings of his axe.
"Five minutes I'd say," the elf replied.
Meanwhile, Goku was having difficulty with the Nazgul he had led into a one-on-one battle. Neither had inflicted any serious damage and no signs were being shown of anything significant occurring. The Saiyan felt the time might be right to go Super Saiyan. Before making up his mind, he powered up another kamehameha and fired it as his opponent. Once again, the Nazgul deflected it into the hills. Goku lowered his eyebrows. He had faced enemies before who could dodge all his attacks, but none as weak as this black rider. He exploded in a burst of light and turned Super Saiyan.
Even Gimli could now see the light that was running towards them now. Aragorn was back, and he carried a torch in his hand. The ranger ran quickly to the battle and called for Gimli and Legolas to stand out the way. As he neared the Nazgul, he held back the torch, then swung it hard at the rider. It immediately went up in flames.
"Quick!" shouted Aragorn. "The rain will soon kill the fire! Strike now!"
The Nazgul screeched loudly and started to run off towards the villages of Gondor, determined to do one last round of damage, despite the pain he was now in. It ran fast, away from his foes, approaching the nearest set of populated houses.
"Legolas, shoot him now!" Aragorn shouted, desperate to defend his people. The elf reached into his quiver and drew his last arrow. He readied his bow, aimed and fired. It struck the Nazgul in the back, making it stumble, but not fall.
"He is damaged," declared Aragorn. "I will finish the job."
He ran to the Nazgul with great speed and plunged Anduril into it back. Removing the weapon, he turned and put it in the riders heart this time. As the flames died away, so too did the Nazgul. This time never to stand again.
"Aragorn, look!" Legolas call to him. The ranger did not have time to enjoy his victory for from the dark clouds of Mordor flew two distinct shapes, those of dragons.
"We are not staying here to be set alight and killed," remarked the remaining two Nazgul. "We shall return one day to finish you off, but for now there are more pressing matters to attend to."
The dragons swooped down and picked up the riders, placing them on their backs as they flew off to the north.
"Legolas, shoot them down," said Aragorn, but he could see the elf did not have any arrows left.
"We have failed," remarked the king, hanging his head in shame. The others joined him, wondering what had just happened. Goku had returned to his normal Saiyan form now and stood next to Piccolo and Krillan.
"We can go after them if you want," the Saiyan suggested.
"No," said Gandalf who had now risen from his seat and joined them. "You have a more important task. You must travel to Mordor and face Vegeta while he is alone."
"What about the black riders?" asked Piccolo.
"They are headed to Rohan unless I am mistaken. I fear the worst for the horse riders; the Nazgul ride dragons only when they intend to cause serious damage."
"But we cannot let them suffer," cried Aragorn. "Not when we have prior knowledge."
"You are right, Aragorn," agreed the wizard. "We must warn King Theoden before they get there. They are unsure of the way to Rohan and they can locate it only by their senses of smell and hearing. If we go now we will arrive before them."
"Then I am ready to leave," said Aragorn.
"As am I," said Legolas.
"And me," said Gimli.
"We can go too," said Krillan, bravely volunteering himself, though the real reason for his enthusiasm was that of getting as far from Mordor as he could.
"This battle does not concern you," said Gandalf. "You and Piccolo must join Goku on his quest. That is your fate."
"I was afraid of that," said Krillan.
"Good luck Goku. We must leave now to defend Rohan, but you have a more important task ahead of you. Do not fail. The fate of Middle Earth rests in your hands now." The wizard motioned for Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli to follow and they made their way to the stables where they could find suitable transport. Goku, Krillan and Piccolo were alone now, left to face the terror that lay ahead in Mordor.
"I'm ready to go if you guys are," said Goku. The others nodded and they made their way to the tower of Barad-Dur.
"How did you get back?" asked the Dark Lord. "I destroyed you! I watched you die!"
"Buu can heal," replied Buu.
Vegeta and the Ring both became extremely angry. "How can I kill you then?" he shouted.
"Buu can't be killed," replied the creature.
"Of course you can!" shouted Vegeta in a fit of rage. "I watched Kakorat do it!" He let out a loud scream and kicked Buu hard. The marshmallow caught his foot and swung him round before catching and then punching him into the same cliff he, himself, had been thrown into earlier. He did not even give Vegeta time to recover. Instead, driven by a fury of his own, Buu sent out a powerful pink blast that destroyed the cliff and damaged the Dark Lord further.
"Time for Big Power!" he announced and moved his arms apart, creating a giant energy bubble as he did so. It grew to twice his height and twice his width before he let it go, sending it towards Vegeta. It hit, sending the Saiyan flying across the plain. To end the attack, Buu tore a part of his flesh off and threw it at his opponent. It wrapped itself around him as he struggled to break loose but found he was trapped.
"H…how could I have let you do this to me again?" Vegeta asked, rhetorically.
"Buu want toy!" demanded the marshmallow.
"Not yet Buu," smiled Vegeta. "I'm far from defeated."
The Ring grew heavy and shone brighter as the Dark Lord broke free of the fleshy rope in a huge explosion. He somersaulted over his head and landed on one knee, his hands placed together. "Final Flash!" he shouted and powered up the attack. Buu spat large domes of energy at Vegeta, forcing him to suspend the Final Flash in order to dodge them. He avoided every one as Buu finally decided it was pointless continuing.
"Where you go?" he asked, seeing that Vegeta was nowhere to be seen.
Hercule saw the large pink domes that exploded on the ground. His eyes widened to an abnormal length, at the verge of leaving their sockets. "I didn't know he could do that!" he said to himself from the rock he was hiding behind. He had reached the battle several minutes ago but still did not know who was winning. It was only when he heard a loud explosion that he would pop his head out from the rock to see if it was anywhere near him. When he found it wasn't, he would quickly hide again, scared to let Vegeta spot him. "Surely it must be over soon," he told himself. "No one can defeat Buu. No one!"
Vegeta emerged behind his opponent and drove his elbow into Buu's shoulder. Buu screamed and turned, catching Vegeta's fist as it swung at him. The Saiyan merely grinned and drove his foot into Buu's stomach, sending him to the ground once more.
"You ready to give up Buu?" he asked, mockingly.
"Buu fight more!" declared the monster as he rose and flew towards Vegeta again. They engaged in more hand to hand combat, kicking and punching each other uncontrollably. It wasn't until Vegeta's last punch connected with its target that the two fighters separated, as Buu was hurtled towards the ground.
"Now it's time to finish you for good!" announced Vegeta. He placed his hands together and finally formed his Final Flash. The Ring glowed, sending its energy into the attack as it grew. The most powerful ball of energy Vegeta had ever seen now rested in his hands. It had five times the power of a Spirit Bomb twice its size and still he let it grow. It grew to three times the size it had been when Vegeta had realised just how powerful it was, but he knew even his arrogance had to end somewhere; It was time to let it go. On the ground, Buu lay panting, struggling to get to his feet. He heard laughter as the large ball of energy was released from the Dark Lord's hands, electricity circling it, a giant tail of energy behind it, never ending as Vegeta pumped more power into it. Just before it reached Buu, a small wave of sheer power was sent through it quickly. It reached the giant ball and exploded upon impact. The ball was crushed between the shockwave and Buu. The monster's scream could barely be heard as every last molecule in his body disintegrated. Vegeta watched, unable to take his eyes off the beautiful attack he had created. Masses of green and yellow spiralling explosions emanated from it as the blue electricity flashed in an attempt to avoid it. The pride he felt at creating such a perfect attack was amazing. It was better than the pride he would feel after defeating ten Buus. If the Ring could smile, it would have as he looked down at it. It was infinitely more powerful than him but had finally decided to accept its new owner and share its power with him, becoming one with the new Dark Lord. "The Ring is mine!" screamed Vegeta, realising what was occurring. The smoke cleared, leaving no trace of Buu. Only a large crater remained and a terrified man shaking behind a rock. He flew to the battlefield and searched for any last remains of Buu. There were none of course. Buu was gone for good and he knew how incredible he would feel when it finally sunk in that he had destroyed the monster. He took to the sky, looking over all his land with a more intense pride.
"Finally I am the most powerful being in the universe," he said to himself, but suddenly felt a twitch in his head; His wasn't the only power present. He could feel one more. Someone was very close to him now and getting closer by the second.
"That's right Vegeta," came a voice from behind him. "I'm here to destroy you for the good of Middle Earth."
"Kakorat!" shouted the Dark Lord. "I didn't hear you come in. You're very welcome here of course. Stay, enjoy yourself, and don't forget to die horribly on the way out!" He smiled an evil smile as he faced the being whose power had plagued him for so many years. Goku stared back into his eyes with a look that said 'You have never been able to defeat me Vegeta…and you never will.'
So the Nazgul have flown to Rohan, followed by Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. Meanwhile, Goku, Krillan and Piccolo have flown to Mordor to face the Dark Lord who has just finished his battle with Buu. How will they fare against the most powerful being in the universe? Find out in Chapter 13 where the long awaited battle is finally fought wuth Middle Earth at stake.