Well, I am going to try and get a lot of chapters out b4 I start my exams :( , so keep a look out for them. NOTE: The 'Temple of Terrors' part is a bit confusing, because I drew I diagram when I wrote this part. If anyone wants a copy of this diagram, email me (if you can be bothered) and I will try to scan it and send it to you as soon as possible. Ok, on with the story already!
ChickFlick Chapter 12
The door in the stone wall opened easily and smoothly. All of them except Pan had to duck to pass through without bashing their heads. They walked quickly through a tiny passageway, only a few metres long.
"That's strange..." murmured Pan. "Look at this." She pointed to a tiny sign on the wall.
"No special powers can be used inside this temple." Read out Videl, also puzzled. "Well, I guess we'll find out if that's true or not soon enough."
When they emerged from the small 'entrance hall', the roof sloped above them, (the low part near the entrance; modelled on the ancient Egyptian pyramids). A two-metre wall was straight in front of them. There was a ladder over the wall in one corner. Bulma climbed the ladder to see what was over the wall, and the others watched as her face quickly paled.
"Snakes..." she whispered to them. "It's... it's a room full of snakes." She tried in vain to keep her voice from trembling out of control. Pan, Videl and Eighteen looked at each other. They knew about Bulma's life-long fear of snakes. (Once, when she was just a child, a huge python had dropped out of a tree straight onto her head). (NOTE: That DID NOT happen in the real show, I just made it up for this story, ok?). They looked at each other again.
"ok, I'm gonna try something..." They stood and watched as Eighteen seemingly did nothing.
"I'm flying... except I'm not." She said. She then tried to form a Destructo Disc. Same thing; nothing happened.
"It's true;" murmured Videl, "we can't use our powers in here. Only our strength and our wits." Eighteen turned to Bulma.
"How...?"
"Don't ask me," said Bulma irritably, "How could Cell take away our powers like this? I know there's that ray thingy that he used on the guys, but I think we would've noticed that. By the sound of that little sign though, it sounds like we've only temporarily lost our powers. Hopefully we should get them back as soon as we get out of this temple."
Videl shrugged and walked over to the ladder.
"Come on. We'd better get started."
She turned to start climbing, but Pan stopped her and pointed to something that they'd all missed; in the corner was another small signpost, rather like the one outside. This one was titled:
"THE SNAKE PIT"
For obvious reasons. Below this was written:
'Enter by the small door. The hundreds of poisonous snakes are prevented from reaching the ladder by the strong wall. You must climb the ladder and go through the rings either head or feet first. When you reach the end, step onto the platform and climb the ladder into the next room.'
There was only one thing left to do. Videl climbed up the ladder so that she could see over the wall.
"Yep," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, "climbing rings; just like the ones you get in little kid's playgrounds." She climbed right up to the top of the ladder and carefully walked along the top of the wall to the middle. As she was doing this, Pan and Eighteen unconsciously moved forward so that Bulma was the last in line. They watched as Videl leapt forward and grabbed onto the first ring. She started swinging back and forth, gaining momentum. At the peak of her next forward swing, she flung her legs up and hooked them over the next ring along. She then pulled herself up so that she was facing feet-first. Pan called up to her
"Why don't you just swing along the bottom and use them like monkey bars?" she queried.
"It's too far," replied Videl, "and there's less chance of falling this way, anyway.
Videl looked up and around at the room before her. Overhead she saw a power cube as the source of light. Then, she tried not to shudder as she looked down at the seething mass of vivid green scales and fangs below her. 'Bulma will never be able to cope with this' she thought ruefully, as she started inching forward, through the rings. She only had about ten metres to travel. Pan was waiting at the top of the ladder behind her. Gratefully and carefully, Videl stepped down from the rings onto a small wooden platform, with just enough floor space to fit them all. She turned to face the others. Pan was standing on the wall, ready to leap onto the rings.
"C'mon!" she yelled. Then, for Bulma's benefit, she added "it's not as hard as it looks!"
Pan nodded and leapt for the first ring. She had never really been afraid of snakes, although they certainly weren't her favourite animals. Her small frame easily slipped through the rings, and soon she had joined her mother on the platform. Now Eighteen was standing atop the wall. Leaping gracefully forward, she decided to try going headfirst. Unlike the others, she wasn't even slightly afraid of snakes; just one of the many android characteristics she had kept when she became human. So she too made it to the platform without any major problems. She landed cat-like beside Videl and Pan.
Bulma was there, ready to go, and already looking worried. She crouched her legs and prepared to spring...
"Bulma, wait." Videl said suddenly. Bulma faced her.
"Before you go, just remember; Cell DESIGNED this place to scare us. Don't listen to the fear!" Bulma tried not to look petrified as she nodded. But trying to build up confidence, she took a deep breath and jumped towards the first ring. Desparately she tried to stop her hands shaking as she swung back and forth. She was going fine until, without warning, one of her hands slipped. She screamed once then fought to keep her composure. There was a sudden outburst of noise from the wooden platform.
"Hold on!"
"C'mon! You can make it!"
"Bulma, fight the panic!"
Bulma took a deep wobbly breath and latched on with her other hand again. Still shaking, she pulled herself up so that she was going head first. And that was a VERY bad idea, because now she was facing almost straight down. Waves of terror radiated from her body as her eyes met the red, gleaming eyes of the snakes below her. They raised their heads and flicked their tongues in anticipation. Venom dripped from their fangs.
Bulma gripped the cool metal of the rings, closed her eyes and gulped, but she kept slowly, slowly moving forward. The others kept talking to her, distracting her from the snakes, reassuring her, urging her on. Suddenly she was there, on the platform, safe with the others. Her knees were wobbling. They collapsed and she ended up kneeling.
There was another ladder leading from the platform up through a hole in the ceiling to the next room. Eighteen kindly pulled Bulma to her feet and gave her a quick hug and a sympathetic smile. Bulma smiled weakly but gratefully back, and Pan started climbing up the ladder.
* * * * *
Sorry it's pretty short, but I wanted to get this done. Hopefully I'll get some more out soon.
ChickFlick Chapter 12
The door in the stone wall opened easily and smoothly. All of them except Pan had to duck to pass through without bashing their heads. They walked quickly through a tiny passageway, only a few metres long.
"That's strange..." murmured Pan. "Look at this." She pointed to a tiny sign on the wall.
"No special powers can be used inside this temple." Read out Videl, also puzzled. "Well, I guess we'll find out if that's true or not soon enough."
When they emerged from the small 'entrance hall', the roof sloped above them, (the low part near the entrance; modelled on the ancient Egyptian pyramids). A two-metre wall was straight in front of them. There was a ladder over the wall in one corner. Bulma climbed the ladder to see what was over the wall, and the others watched as her face quickly paled.
"Snakes..." she whispered to them. "It's... it's a room full of snakes." She tried in vain to keep her voice from trembling out of control. Pan, Videl and Eighteen looked at each other. They knew about Bulma's life-long fear of snakes. (Once, when she was just a child, a huge python had dropped out of a tree straight onto her head). (NOTE: That DID NOT happen in the real show, I just made it up for this story, ok?). They looked at each other again.
"ok, I'm gonna try something..." They stood and watched as Eighteen seemingly did nothing.
"I'm flying... except I'm not." She said. She then tried to form a Destructo Disc. Same thing; nothing happened.
"It's true;" murmured Videl, "we can't use our powers in here. Only our strength and our wits." Eighteen turned to Bulma.
"How...?"
"Don't ask me," said Bulma irritably, "How could Cell take away our powers like this? I know there's that ray thingy that he used on the guys, but I think we would've noticed that. By the sound of that little sign though, it sounds like we've only temporarily lost our powers. Hopefully we should get them back as soon as we get out of this temple."
Videl shrugged and walked over to the ladder.
"Come on. We'd better get started."
She turned to start climbing, but Pan stopped her and pointed to something that they'd all missed; in the corner was another small signpost, rather like the one outside. This one was titled:
"THE SNAKE PIT"
For obvious reasons. Below this was written:
'Enter by the small door. The hundreds of poisonous snakes are prevented from reaching the ladder by the strong wall. You must climb the ladder and go through the rings either head or feet first. When you reach the end, step onto the platform and climb the ladder into the next room.'
There was only one thing left to do. Videl climbed up the ladder so that she could see over the wall.
"Yep," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, "climbing rings; just like the ones you get in little kid's playgrounds." She climbed right up to the top of the ladder and carefully walked along the top of the wall to the middle. As she was doing this, Pan and Eighteen unconsciously moved forward so that Bulma was the last in line. They watched as Videl leapt forward and grabbed onto the first ring. She started swinging back and forth, gaining momentum. At the peak of her next forward swing, she flung her legs up and hooked them over the next ring along. She then pulled herself up so that she was facing feet-first. Pan called up to her
"Why don't you just swing along the bottom and use them like monkey bars?" she queried.
"It's too far," replied Videl, "and there's less chance of falling this way, anyway.
Videl looked up and around at the room before her. Overhead she saw a power cube as the source of light. Then, she tried not to shudder as she looked down at the seething mass of vivid green scales and fangs below her. 'Bulma will never be able to cope with this' she thought ruefully, as she started inching forward, through the rings. She only had about ten metres to travel. Pan was waiting at the top of the ladder behind her. Gratefully and carefully, Videl stepped down from the rings onto a small wooden platform, with just enough floor space to fit them all. She turned to face the others. Pan was standing on the wall, ready to leap onto the rings.
"C'mon!" she yelled. Then, for Bulma's benefit, she added "it's not as hard as it looks!"
Pan nodded and leapt for the first ring. She had never really been afraid of snakes, although they certainly weren't her favourite animals. Her small frame easily slipped through the rings, and soon she had joined her mother on the platform. Now Eighteen was standing atop the wall. Leaping gracefully forward, she decided to try going headfirst. Unlike the others, she wasn't even slightly afraid of snakes; just one of the many android characteristics she had kept when she became human. So she too made it to the platform without any major problems. She landed cat-like beside Videl and Pan.
Bulma was there, ready to go, and already looking worried. She crouched her legs and prepared to spring...
"Bulma, wait." Videl said suddenly. Bulma faced her.
"Before you go, just remember; Cell DESIGNED this place to scare us. Don't listen to the fear!" Bulma tried not to look petrified as she nodded. But trying to build up confidence, she took a deep breath and jumped towards the first ring. Desparately she tried to stop her hands shaking as she swung back and forth. She was going fine until, without warning, one of her hands slipped. She screamed once then fought to keep her composure. There was a sudden outburst of noise from the wooden platform.
"Hold on!"
"C'mon! You can make it!"
"Bulma, fight the panic!"
Bulma took a deep wobbly breath and latched on with her other hand again. Still shaking, she pulled herself up so that she was going head first. And that was a VERY bad idea, because now she was facing almost straight down. Waves of terror radiated from her body as her eyes met the red, gleaming eyes of the snakes below her. They raised their heads and flicked their tongues in anticipation. Venom dripped from their fangs.
Bulma gripped the cool metal of the rings, closed her eyes and gulped, but she kept slowly, slowly moving forward. The others kept talking to her, distracting her from the snakes, reassuring her, urging her on. Suddenly she was there, on the platform, safe with the others. Her knees were wobbling. They collapsed and she ended up kneeling.
There was another ladder leading from the platform up through a hole in the ceiling to the next room. Eighteen kindly pulled Bulma to her feet and gave her a quick hug and a sympathetic smile. Bulma smiled weakly but gratefully back, and Pan started climbing up the ladder.
* * * * *
Sorry it's pretty short, but I wanted to get this done. Hopefully I'll get some more out soon.