CMG: Don't own them. Read my disclaimer in the prologue. Now it's time for the action to get just a bit more intense. So not trying to hold you back any longer, I invite you to…
The Fear
Chapter 4
Sunlight streamed through the dense jungle as the rustling sound was heard. The ten warriors ran towards the volcano; not wasting another minute since the fate of the world was at stake. Avoiding flying, the warriors opted to walk to avoid the pterodactyls in the sky. They were at risk of more ground beasts to attack, but they could handle it easier than battling against the ones that naturally can attack in the air. Not once after Goku's recovery and the battle in front of the cave did they yield in any of the fights. Goku started showing less mercy to any of the creatures they came across and acted more savage.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Gohan said after Goku growled at the retreating forms of some wolf-like creatures that tried to kill them but instead delayed them. Goku was having trouble handling himself after the group left the cave. He was starting to resort to instinct more and more with every battle they came across.
"He's starting to get worse," Piccolo said. "We have to find Chi-chi before he literally snaps."
"Yeah, but he's normally not like this," Goten said. "I'm scared!"
"We all are," Krillin added.
"Babies," Vegeta mumbled under his breath.
"Well, would you rather I knock him out and drag him through the jungle or let him remain like this and have an advantage with a warrior driven by his instincts?" Piccolo said; earning a snarl from Goku when he mentioned "knocked out". The Saiya-jin's eyes flickered at Piccolo and said, 'Knock me out and I'll return the favor when I wake up and break your bones in the process.'
"Well, he is helpful," Tien said. "If he hasn't been driven by his instincts, then we wouldn't know when danger was around." Goku grunted and took that as a compliment.
"All that's missing from him is his tail and then we would have a raging Oozaru to deal with," Krillin joked.
"Actually baldy," Vegeta decided to mention, "what if he IS growing back his tail as we speak."
"Gah!" Krillin jumped and looked at Goku; afraid that any minute, a tail might sprout out of his pants. However, there was no sign of a tail being there as the ex-monk sighed in relief.
"He is not!" Chou-su piped up. "Goku's tail hasn't grown back at all!"
"Saiya-jins have tails?" Goten said quietly.
"Yeah," Trunks said. "My dad said that he used to have one and mentioned that Yajarobe cut it off!"
"Don't remind me," Vegeta fumed. "I still owe that fat ass a piece of my mind for cutting off my tail.
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On Korin's Tower, Yajarobe sneezed while he was making a sandwich.
'Hm,' Yajarobe thought. 'Someone's thinking ill of me.'
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Back in the jungle, the warriors continued towards the base of the volcano and finally saw a clearing. There, they saw a lagoon with water near the volcano's massive structure. It beckoned the warriors to drink from its pools as Goten and Trunks ran towards it.
"Boys!" Piccolo barked as they stopped. "We need to see if that's safe."
"Aw," Goten and Trunks said disappointed.
Piccolo looked at Goku to see if it was safe. It was hard to tell to read his face as he seemed not to growl. Cautiously, Goku walked over to the lagoon and sniffed at it as the warriors face vault.
"There's nothing to worry about," Goku said; his first words in a day over grunts and growls.
"Huh?" Yamcha said; hearing Goku talking again. Since they left the cave, he did nothing else but growl or grunt.
"I said it's…" started Goku before a slimy tentacle grabbed him and pulled him underwater. "Ah!"
"Dad!" Gohan cried after Goku was pulled under the water's surface.
"No!" Piccolo hissed.
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Underwater, Goku came face-to-face with a siren-like creature as it creates an enchanted bubble and threw him in there. Goku hissed at the beast since he was able to breathe again. The siren-like creature had bluish skin with webbed hands and feet and wore a seaweed dress. Her hair was red and her eyes were a golden color as Goku is paralyzed by the eye's trance. She seemed to hold mischief in her eyes as she chuckled at the helpless warrior.
"Don't worry," said the siren-like beast. "I'll take good care of your friends."
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"Let me go!" Goten cried as he struggled in Trunks' arms. "I need to save my dad!"
"No way, Goten!" Trunks said as he held the carbon copy of Goku in his arms. "Your dad will take care of whatever grabbed him."
A mysterious melody suddenly made the warriors look at the lagoon where the siren-like creature had taken Goku underwater. The water parted as the siren-like creature's voice became more spell-binding to everyone, including Piccolo. Out of the water came the creature in a form that looked like she was human, except her skin remained blue. The seaweed dress transformed into a two-piece suit. If at that moment Yamcha could move or respond, he would probably have a nose bleed.
"It seems I got some pets," the woman said as she walked over to Vegeta; who was trying to fight the spell's effects in vain. "There's no use in fighting it as you can see. Once you hear my song, you belong to me." She kissed his lips and caressed his cheek.
'Damn sea witch,' thought Vegeta as his body failed to respond. A part of him wanted to punch her after that kiss, but he couldn't move an inch.
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Underwater, Goku felt his friend's energy signatures flicker as he struggled to fight the paralysis that took hold of his body. He wasn't able to break free as he suddenly noticed the bubble around him getting smaller and the lower half of his legs getting soaked by the water again. He saw some sea nymphs appear and start dancing around him happily.
"Soon you shall become one of us and forget who you are," the nymphs sang happily. "It doesn't matter anyway since one of us you shall be renamed by Min'are."
'No… I need… to save the others… and Chi-chi…' Goku thought as the nymphs danced around him. He suddenly felt pain in his lower back as his breathing suddenly quickened.
"Change, change, and you will see what you are and what you'll be!" the nymphs sang.
Suddenly, Goku's power rose as he broke out of the paralysis on his body. The nymphs swam away from him before Goku grabbed a handful of them and hissed at them.
"No! Don't eat us!" cried the nymphs as the Saiya-jin displayed fangs instead of normal teeth in his mouth. From what the nymphs were hoping, it was that Goku wouldn't eat them since he wasn't acting like his normal self at all.
"Then release me from this lagoon so I can save my friends," Goku hissed as something dark flew behind him rather quickly.
"Fine," the nymphs cried as a whirlpool opened up on the lagoon's surface. "Step through and you'll return to land, save your friends while you can."
With that, Goku lunged through the whirlpool; hoping that he can save his friends in time.
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Min'are, the siren-like creature, was in the meantime chanting as her golden eyes started to weave a spell upon the warriors. Her body was glowing in a golden light as the energy arced off of her and wrapped around the fighter's bodies.
"Forget who you are and what you may be. Surrender your lives and souls to me," Min'are chanted as she held a clam-like shell in her hands. The warriors started to walk towards her when suddenly, Goku lunged out of the water and landed near Min'are.
"Let my friends go!" Goku hissed angrily at Min'are.
"It's already too late," Min'are said. "Your friends are nearly mine."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Goku roared as he slammed his fist into her face, forcing her to drop the clam-like shell as it broke into pieces. The warriors broke out of the spell as they saw Goku grab Min'are by the neck.
"Please! Spare my life…" Min'are said as she gazed into the warrior's eyes to try and control him so that she could then turn and imprison him again.
"Never, you hag," Goku growled as he crushed her neck and threw her into the air before firing an energy blast to kill her.
"Daddy!" Goten cried as he ran up to Goku and flinched when he saw something brown behind Goku's back. "Ah! A snake!"
"Huh?" Goku snapped out of the bad mood, looking confused and innocent. "Snake? Where?" He turned around and looked as the others, except Goten, withdrew a breath and held it.
"Daddy! It's going into your pants!" Goten yelled.
"Ah!" Goku cried as he took his pants off and tried to find the said snake. "Where is it?"
"Kakarot, calm down," Vegeta said; not at the least amused. "Your tail's back."
"M-my tail? Really?" Goku said as he looked behind him and low and behold, he saw his tail. "Oh my gosh! Wow! I haven't had one in years!"
"We should cut it off then," said Piccolo as he approached the warrior before Goku's mood suddenly changed and he hissed at the Namekian warrior.
"I rather keep it," Goku growled a warning towards Piccolo before snapping out of the mood as though he wasn't growling and threatening anyone in the first place. "Did I just say something now?" All at once, everyone face vaulted.
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"It seems that the one known as Goku managed to fell Min'are," Zealous said to Trepidation.
"She was hardly a worthy warrior with her magic spells and incantations," Trepidation said. "No matter. What my warriors can do is nothing compared to her insignificant skills that she possesses."
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"Our only concern is now, we find Chi-chi," Piccolo said after the warriors collected themselves from the ground. "We need to find the entrance of the cave." Suddenly, Gohan steps into a trap and flies up into a tree. "Gohan!"
"Hang on!" Tien called out to Gohan as he starts to approach the tree when a knife flies out of the tree. Jumping back, Tien saw a figure in a tree standing there. By the looks of it, it looked like he was about six feet tall. His mask as well as his clothes are gray and his hair is salt and pepper black and gray.
"Who are you?" Yamcha said.
"My name is Odious and I," the figure said, "will be your opponent and crush you all!" Goku tensed as a low growl emitted in his throat. "Yes. Get angry. If not, then the boy dies."
"What?!" Goten and Piccolo said.
"At this moment," Odious said, "there is a viper in the tree and if you do not defeat me, then your friend will die by the viper's poison."
"We won't let you win, Odious," Goku growled as he prepared to challenge the warrior. However, a gloved hand got pressed into Goku's chest.
"Take a break, Kakarot," Vegeta said as he stepped forward. "I'll handle this nuisance."
"You walk the walk, Vegeta, but can you talk the talk?" Odious said; surprising the warrior.
"How do you know who I am?!" Vegeta growled.
"My lord and master knows everything about you warriors and I will expose your weaknesses," Odious said smugly. If he wasn't wearing a mask, a smirk would cross his face and taunt Vegeta and the others. "Come! There isn't a moment to waste."
Vegeta and Odious stared each other down; trying to find a weakness in one's stance as it seemed as though they were locked in a stalemate before the battle began. Up in a tree, a twig snapped and that was all Vegeta needed to lunge at Odious. His left fist was extended as it failed to make contact and was grabbed in mid-air by Odious before he sent Vegeta flying with a kick in the stomach into a tree.
"Dad!" Trunks cried as Vegeta growled as he got up.
"Stay out of the way, brat," Vegeta barked at his son as he walked over to Odious. "Not a bad warm-up, wouldn't you say?"
"You knew I was holding back? Heh," Odious said as he powered up. The robes stretched and came close to tearing at the seams as the muscles beneath the robes bulged. "Now prepare yourself, 'Prince' Vegeta, for I will teach you a lesson you won't soon forget."
"How dare you mock my name!" Vegeta roared as he transformed into an ascended Super Saiya-jin. The trees creaked as dust and rocks flew around Vegeta's form.
"Don't get too confident!" Odious said. "That can lead to your downfall."
"Easy for you to say," Vegeta growled before lunging at Odious and kicking him in the chest. As Odious went flying into the tree, Vegeta flew up and planted his feet upon the thick timber of the tree before lunging himself towards Odious with his fists locked together in a hammer throw. Swinging at Odious, he found his fists connected with the air as he stopped his propel in mid-air and searched for the gray-figure.
"You're too blind to see me!" Odious said as the tree branches suddenly grab Vegeta and bind him up.
"Coward!" Vegeta hissed as he tried to escape the leafy branches.
"A coward is not what I am," Odious' voice said as a hissing sound was heard above Vegeta and he saw a viper coming towards him. The viper was gray with white eyes as Vegeta suddenly felt his body freeze up.
"M-my body!" Vegeta cried.
"Yes," Odious' voice said. "You will make a delicious snack."
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"Vegeta's in trouble," Piccolo said as Goku lunged up into the trees. "Son!"
The Earth-raised Saiya-jin jumped up the tree from branch to branch towards the limp form of Vegeta and the viper. As Vegeta was about to be eaten by the snake, Goku grabbed it and hung it over the tree.
"Return to your normal shape, Odious," Goku hissed.
"So… you knew…" Odious' voice said before the snake shape shifted back into Odious and remained holding him by his neck. The tree branches suddenly release Vegeta as he started to fall towards the ground. "Which would you rather save though? Your son or the proud and arrogant Prince?"
"I rather kill you and save both," Goku growled bitterly at Odious before the snake-man felt Goku's grip tightened around his neck and he plunged his hand into Odious' chest. Odious went limp as Goku dropped his body to the ground. Higher up in the tree, Gohan was released from his prison in the tree while falling to the ground, Vegeta felt the paralysis had wore off and stopped his flight as he saw Odious' hardly living body fall. The Saiya-jin prince grabbed Odious and hissed in his face.
"Where is the woman that your boss kidnapped?" Vegeta growled.
"I know no woman of that nature that Lord Trepidation kidnapped," Odious said as he coughed blood into Vegeta's face. The Saiya-jin prince wiped the blood away with the other glove and growled before holding his hand with an energy blast in it.
"Then I grant you death," Vegeta said and blasted his body into dust.
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"Odious had no chance against these humans and he was supposed to be the strongest," Trepidation said. "No matter. Coppice will do well against the warriors since he knows their weaknesses."
"My lord," Zealous said. "Do you wish for me to prepare your armor?"
"You may, my future queen," Trepidation said.
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In a dark room deep within the volcano, Chi-chi sobs on the floor; praying to Kami himself to bring Goku to her in order to be saved. Being kept as Trepidation's prisoner was a fate worse than death.
CMG: Another chapter before Halloween? How brilliant of me to think of everyone and treat you with such a plot adding chapter. I suppose many of you have questions about Zealous and those questions will be answered in later chapters. For now, don't take any guesses of who she is for she might be someone completely different. Now onto reviews:
Kinoha Chi: As I mentioned, we'll see if you're right about Zealous. After all, who knows who it might be under the mask? (grins evilly)
Chi-chi: What? If you were being attacked by hogs the size of a bike, you'd have trouble fighting them too! And there's a slim chance Goku might transform into a Super Saiya-jin 3 when he saves Chi-chi. I could have a little fun with his tail too. (looks at it and chuckles)
Gokulover4ever: Welcome and thank you for reviewing. I bet you'd like that.
Wynora: Welcome and thank you for reviewing the first and fourth chapter. I'm happy you have considered a writer like me into your little community and I hope you continue to read on and see where the story leads in the future.
And I thank any enigmatic readers for reading this fic. If my review count gets to 45 by Halloween night, I might post my next chapter early as an additional bonus so you can see the rest of the battles that lie ahead. If not, expect the next chapter to come next Friday to leave you to wonder what will happen next. (cackles) And no double posts or post for every single chapter. Please review normally, peeps! :D