A/N: In case you guys didn't notice, things will really start to pick up when Gohan and the others hit the third universe. That's when the shit'll start hitting the fan. Lots of character deaths… I mean… uhhh... ignore that.
A/N: What happened to all my reviews? Ah well, I did say you only had to review if you wanted and that I wasn't gonna threaten you like some other authors.
A/N: The title of the chapter is the name of the planet. It won't actually be said anywhere in the chapter but that's just so you know what it's called. From the looks of things I may actually be able to wrap things up in this universe by chapter 20 after all. Wow.
A/N: Sorry about any grammar mistakes in advance. My proof-reader has decided to up and vanish on me. Ah well.
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Response to Reviews:
MysticSuperSaiyanGohan – Yes, that is true, Kaioken would be more powerful, but the thing is. Kaioken can only take you so far because it is exceedingly harmful to the body. The SSJ transformation gives that extra boost of power WITHOUT any detrimental health problems because the body evolves to a stage that can contain that power. Kaioken doesn't do that, it just takes the current body to the extreme and beyond. If it draws out too much power, the body will simply explode. Hence in the long run SSJ is more powerful.
Limar – I'm not sure where I got it from limar. I think it's a bit of everything really. I've read so many books and watched so many anime that I just took a bunch of little things I liked from each, combined it with some of my own imagination, stirred well, and served it out in nice bit sized chapters for your reading pleasure.
IMUniquelyStupid – All I gotta say is just wait and see, just wait and see.
Krypto – Good question. And you are quite right. Not all of them are chosen. In fact, very few of them are. Only 5 are, and 2 you haven't met. Gohan, Sapphire and 3 others. Bardock is the untouchable, not a chosen, pretty much just a walking communication device. The rest are just along for the ride. What makes it cool is that the third party involved in this doesn't know who's the chosen and who's not. They just assume that, as long as they are with Gohan, they are a chosen. Which isn't a bad way of thinking because they'll be helping Gohan as much, if not more so, than the chosen ones. Gohan's evilness will really start manifesting itself in the third universe… of course it'll have HELP, but that's beside the point.
The l33tness – I'm probably not gonna switch, no where else has near the fanbase as fan fiction, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't like reviews.
wizardmon92 – It has everything to do with it. I'm adding flesh to main characters I've created in this story.
Dan415 – about that… I don't recall that at all, and even if it did… it's hard to blow up an already dead body.
Mee – I'd rather not have anyone licking my ass… who knows where their faces have been!
Dany le fou – ok, ok, I get the point -(injects his story into Dany le fou's veins)- Here it is. Feel better?
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Chapter 19: Vorhkum
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"This had better not be another city filled with stupid giants Trunks!" Vegeta yelled as the group flew through the air.
They'd had bad luck so far. Every city they had gone to had greeted them the same way, with violence. Apparently the giants, while civil to one another, didn't appreciate smaller races, or any other races for that matter, encroaching upon their territory.
They'd been flying around for nearly a week and the supplies they'd brought with them originally were beginning to get rather small. And considering saiyan appetites this was a very bad thing. Vegeta had taken his anger out on Trunks, the one who had been guiding them. It wasn't his fault though; he'd been just pinpointing the closest city that had yet to be visited. Vegeta just felt the need to blame something, anything, for their predicament.
"Settle down Vegeta." Gohan said looked over at the younger saiyan. "These life forces feel different than all the others. And, from the looks of things, it appears as if they're living below ground which is another difference between this group of life forms and those of the giants."
"There is also far more of them." Trunks replied, "And they're weaker, in general, than the giants. It definitely appears as if it's a different race. Perhaps we'll get a…better reception this time."
"Hmph." Vegeta grumped.
"We're here." Bardock said as he stopped.
Everyone else stopped and looked back at him in curiosity. They followed his gaze, which was directed towards the ground, and a cleverly concealed hatch.
"Good eyes." Karreth said as she and the others floated down to the ground.
As they landed the hatch burst open and the group quickly found themselves surrounded by large warriors. They towered over the saiyans, the shortest being six and a half feet tall and the biggest over eight. All of them were armed to the teeth with what appeared to be finely honed enchanted weapons and armor. One of the warriors, the strongest of the group, stepped forward, his weapon held out in front of him.
"What do you what? If your intentions are hostile, you will not leave here alive." He threatened.
Gohan and the others exchanged looks. This was certainly nice. They weren't immediately attacked upon sight, but rather confronted cautiously. This they could deal with. Gohan placed a hand on Vegeta's head to still him, although it was hardly necessary.
"Don't worry, we have no hostile intentions." Gohan said with a smile. "We just need a place to rest, gather food, and collect information."
"And how do I know that you are not lying?"
"You don't." Gohan said, "All I can do is give you my word that we have no hostile intentions."
The leader's eyes narrowed. "That's not good enough. We'll need proof of your sincerity, as well as a proof of your strength." He looked over at Sapphire and Karreth and looked them up and down. "The woman may enter; they look like they are prime breeding stock."
Sapphire's eyes widen in surprise and she quickly hid behind Gohan to get away from the look. Karreth however looked furious.
"BREEDING STOCK!" Karreth roared as she stomped forward. "I'm going to kick your ass to the moon!"
"KARRETH!" Gohan shouted, stopping her in her tracks. He didn't want this to deteriorate. Gohan turned to the leader. "I'm sorry but they're not for breeding with. The only men allowed to touch them are ones they allow. And either one of them is far more powerful than you or your men." Gohan stated.
"Let me use his head as a soccer ball, like I did with those fucking dragons." Karreth growled as she glared at Gohan.
The leader scoffed, "You, a woman, kill a dragon?" He laughed, as did most of his men. "I doubt it. Dragons are notoriously hard to kill. Only the strongest of our people can kill a dragon."
Gohan stared at the leader hard. "Yes well, tell that to the three thousand dragons we sent packing." Gohan stated flatly.
The leader glared at Gohan. "Hmph, bring me the head of an elder dragon or greater and we will consider letting you in. If you really did defeat that many dragons, although I highly doubt it, you should have no problem with one." He replied.
Gohan's face scrunched up, "Well, alright, but how do we tell what level a dragon is? It's not like we can just waltz up to one and ask it its age."
The leader frowned. "If it's over four hundred feet in length it'll be an elder dragon." He pointed to the mountain range behind him. "Just bring it there 'if' you get the head. We'll be able to see you coming and signal you, considering you even make it to the dragon's lair in one piece." He laughed uproariously.
Gohan quickly agreed, not wanting to start a fight, and shot into the air, quickly followed by the rest, and headed towards the nearest dragon den. Trunks and Gohan could easily pin point the location since they had excellent ki sensing skills and had felt the life forces of dragons before. As the guards faded into the distance Gohan couldn't help but think that he'd overlooked something.
"They won't be back." The leader said with a smirk. "They headed straight for the lair of the shadow dragons."
"I'm not so sure." One of guards said.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"They… are not normal. They, how do I put it, are not of this planet." He said with his voice barely above a whisper. "I could almost feel their power, almost see it. I've never felt that in with anything save perhaps the greatest of dragons, the titan elders and the Thrask."
"Psch, there you go again with your stupid feeling crap. You need to get out more, have a fun time with some of the woman; just about all of them would take you Rahkhain. After all, you're the first Arkon in three generations to go toe-to-toe with an elder wyrm and win, and you're only twenty. There's already a story written about your exploits." The leader said as he put his arm around the young Arkon and lead him and the others back into the safety of their underground tunnels.
Rahkhain just blushed and allowed him to be led away. Sure, he was like most men, horny and in need of sex, but he didn't want just any female, he wanted one who would care and love him. Sure sex was all nice and well but there wasn't any point behind it, just mindless bump and grind, unless there was that extra additional meaning with it.
He thought back to the strange group of people that had been assembled by the entrance. They were a motley bunch that was for sure. But he couldn't help but feel that he belonged out there, with them, not down here cooped up and afraid of the next demon raid. He thought back to the strange woman who hid behind the group's leader. She was certainly interesting, perhaps his type, but she was obviously smitten by her leader. The other one sure wasn't. He couldn't deal with that kind of temper on a day to day basis.
They stopped at a small maze of rooms. There were several rooms, one for monitoring the entrance to the underground tunnels. A couple for sleeping quarters, one for the mess hall, and a couple others for relaxation.
It was one of the safest jobs, guarding the surface entrances, and normally Rahkhain wouldn't have been assigned there except that the elders figured he needed a little rest from his excursion against the dragons. Rahkhain figured it was to let his fame die down a little before he went out and did another spectacular battle against an elder titan or a creature of similar strength.
What Rahkhain would have preferred was to be stationed at the Delta gate down below where the vast majority of the demon raids took place. He could better serve his people there as opposed to here. Titans didn't care about where they lived so didn't bother them, and with the Titans constantly getting more powerful and more numerous the dragons were too busy trying to keep their territory to worry about the lands of the Arkons. The Thrask, while the strongest creature in the universe, just kept to itself because it wasn't a match if it was forced to face a large group of titans or dragons and was too large to fit in the small tunnels created by the Arkons.
That left just the demons, ugly fuckers that came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They and the Arkons constantly contested for land. One generation the Arkons would gain much ground against the demons and the next they'd lose it again. It was an on going cycle, and one Rahkhain prayed he could break. This was the generation that, if the cycle were to repeat itself, the demons would regain the lost ground. From the reports they'd be receiving from the various gates it appeared as if the demons may very well take back their ground but Rahkhain felt that, if he were down there, he'd be able to break the cycle and his people would finally be able to beat the demons back once and for all.
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-(-oo-O-oo-)-
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A few hours later…
"We're getting close." Gohan said, "Time for you to power-up."
Four massive sonic booms echoed through the air as the four saiyans quickly powered up to super saiyan. A few moments later a flash of bright light followed by a sonic boom rippled through the air as Trunks ascended to the second level.
The group flashed through the sky, so intent on their destination they didn't even notice the presence until it was upon them.
"Trunks! Everyone! Watch out!" Gohan shouted quickly as he dove to the side. Everyone scattered and began powering up energy blasts until a voice stopped them.
"That's hardly the way to greet someone." A feminine voice said as a massive dragon settled down upon the ground before the group. Her scales were the same color as Blight's.
The saiyans all stared at the massive dragon in surprise. "You, you look like Blight." Karreth said in astonishment.
The dragon looked at Karreth questioningly. "Blight? Oh! Ashlayintran although you may know him as Ashlay." The dragon said with a smile. Everyone decided right than that it was damn creepy seeing a dragon smile. "He's my son. How's he doing by the way?"
Gohan and Trunks nodded, that confirmed their suspicions. The other's had this deadpan kind of look to their faces. Her life force felt quite similar to Blight's. "He's doing fine, going to be a father soon. His wife is kind of nervous; she isn't sure if she's going to give birth the normal way or if she's going to lay some eggs first." Gohan replied.
Liantrianious chuckled, her voice coming out oddly clear and gentle for a being of such size and power. "She has nothing to fear. Although her children will have all the draconic features of the father, should my son ever decide to teach them the transformation techniques. But that is neither the reason I have come, nor is it relevant to your being here."
"No, it's not. We need the head of an elder dragon or bigger; don't suppose you'll mind lending us your own?" Gohan asked innocently.
Liantrianious smiled again, sending a second wave of chills down their backs. "No, I'm afraid not, but I know a few that could be 'persuaded' to give up theirs. Hence the reason I am here." She replied, "There is an ancient dragon within the mountain you are headed towards. I want you to kill it for me. It is the strongest of the shadow dragons, and it will easily persuade the Arkon's that you're strong enough to enter their lair."
"How do you know about that?" Trunks demanded.
"I have my ways."
"Why do you want us to kill the ancient shadow dragon?" Gohan said as he stared steadily at Blight's mother. "We're not exactly on friendly terms with you dragons so I don't see why we couldn't just take yours."
Liantrianious sighed and rolled her eyes, "Humans, always so blind to what's right in front of their eyes." She muttered to herself. "For one, the dragons that attacked you were all shadow dragons, a hybrid dragon if you will. A mutation designed to fight an ancient enemy that no longer exists. They were driven mad and then manipulated and controlled by a powerful draconic creature, one we exiled from this universe many centuries ago for unethical practices. The vast majority of the dragon race had nothing to do with the attack; we ourselves were victims of a surprise attack by the shadow dragons. We're currently fighting them ourselves and would appreciate it if you would help. Or rather, I would and a few others. Most don't know you're even here. We would both benefit from such an agreement, so will you accept?"
"Sure! Why not. I don't see anything wrong with that." Gohan said with a smile.
"You sure we can trust them Gohan?" Karreth asked.
"Nope, but it doesn't really matter now does it Karreth?" Gohan said still smiling. "Trust has to start somewhere, and besides, she is Blight's mother, of that I have no doubt, and I say let's trust her. It's not like we'll be doing anything we weren't going to do before anyways. Our destination hasn't changed, our target is still a big dragon and if she's trustworthy we'll have a bunch of massively powerful dragons indebted to us."
"If you say so Gohan." Karreth replied.
"Then it's settled." Liantrianious replied. "We've managed to corner the remaining insane shadow dragons there but the ancient wyrm Zarytinous poses a great threat. He's prepared to counter a full scale draconic assault, however a small group of 'lowly' humans, he will let you right in so he can eat you himself. We can't launch a full scale assault until we have a way of dealing with him. We'll be awaiting your safe return. I'll let the other dragons know to let you pass unharmed." She said as she took to the air with a single flap of her wings.
"Well that was certainly an interesting encounter." Gohan mused.
"She was beautiful." Sapphire said with awe written all over her face.
"Yes, she was in an exotic and alien kind of way."
"I hope you're not getting any ideas about picking her as your mate Gohan." Karreth said with a smirk.
Gohan laughed and shook his head. "Oh no, don't worry about that. I'd choose you before her." Gohan said with a smile as he took to the air.
The others were quick to follow suit, not wanting to be left behind. Karreth had a little smile on her face as she at Gohan from behind.
Gohan, for one, was glad that Liantrianious had ordered the other dragons to let them pass, considering there was at least half a million of them there in the mountains. Gohan knew that even he would have been hard pressed to survive against that many. Gohan thought briefly how many there had been before the attack from the shadow dragons.
The group blasted through the lines of the draconic forces and shot towards one of the huge openings in the side of the mountain spire. Dragons being as big as they are require big openings, and so it was no wonder that Gohan and the others felt dwarfed when they shot through the passages towards the center of the mountain. The passages were easily wide and high enough to allow several score dragons through at any given time. Oddly enough during their passage through the tunnel they didn't see even a single dragon. They all began to grow a little nervous at this development.
With a suddenness that surprised them all they left the passage and entered an absolutely titanic cavern. There were many platforms jutting out from various parts of the cavern wall but they did little to shrink the sheer immense size of the cavern. Here, however, they did find dragons, lots of dragons, more than what attack them before.
"Uh, Gohan. This could become a problem." Karreth said quietly. Not quietly enough however as ten's of thousands of dragons swivelled their heads towards them.
"Great Karreth, just great." Vegeta said sarcastically, "Way to let everyone know we're here."
"Shut up you two, this isn't the time for bickering." Bardock snapped as he got into a fighting position.
"He's right." Gohan said as floated forward, searching for the ancient wyrm. "Let's just find Zarytinous, kill the lizard, and get out of here, preferably before every dragon in this cavern as a chance to take a shot at us."
"Ha ha ha." A deep voice boomed through the cavern. "What amusing, ha ha. Flesh and bones shall rend and break, creatures you are." Zarytinous said as he uncoiled himself from the platform nearest the group.
It was then that Gohan and the others were able to get a clear picture of what it was they were supposed to fight. The first thing they noticed was his size and color. He was a purple dragon, or rather a black dragon so ancient his scales had turned a dark purple. He was easily a couple hundred feet longer than even Blight. The next thing they noticed, were his eyes. They were filled with complete and utter insanity, no, something so dark and twisted that it made insanity seem like nothing.
"Ooohh…I can't wait… rend and tear, strip the flesh from your bones, how delicious." The ancient wyrm cackled in delight, "Crunching bones, music, ah, yes… oooo… yes… I shiver… rend and tear, mangle and maim, I shall feast on you oh yes, oh yes, yessss, I desire… oooo… yes…"
"Gohan?" Trunks asked.
"If I had to wager a guess I'd think that is Zarytinnusan-whatever. Regardless, he's over 400 feet in length, let's kill the bastard, take his head, and get out of here." Gohan relied.
Zarytinous cackled again, "Take my head, ooo, try yes… try… come fleshlings, let me rend and tear, feast and eat. I hunger for your souls!" He roared and launched himself at Gohan and the others faster than they thought he could move.
Gohan pushed Sapphire out of the way as a massive tail rushed at them faster than she could react. A loud crack-boom was heard throughout the cavern as Gohan was slammed into the side of the cavern at super sonic speeds.
"GOHAN!" Sapphire cried out in horror.
"Don't worry about him Sapphire! Worry about yourself! Gohan is fine." Trunks said as he dodged a claw swipe.
"I'll make you pay!" Sapphire declared quietly as she disappeared from view and began concentrating.
"KAMEHAME-HA!" Bardock quickly shouted as he slammed his hands forward and unleashed a massive wave of energy at the ancient wyrm.
A look of surprise crossed Zarytinous' face as he glanced at the oncoming energy wave. He obviously didn't think he'd be fighting creatures capable of this kind of power.
However…
A massive boom rocked the mountain as the energy wave slammed into the ancient wyrm and exploded into a massive ball of energy and fire. When the smoke cleared Zarytinous sat there calmly picking at his teeth with a single claw.
When he noticed he was no longer concealed he cackled. "Stupid fleshlings, powerless against me, I shall strip the flesh from your bones, and eat it before your very eyes!" He shouted with glee as he lunged at Bardock, quicker than ever before.
"BIG BANG ATTACK!" Trunks roared as he held his palm out towards the oncoming dragon. A massive flash of blue light lit the cavern up as the ball of energy flashed from Trunks' outstretched palm into the dragon's massive torso faster than anyone could follow.
A massive boom echoed throughout the cavern as the energy bomb engulfed the dragon and exploded into a massive ball of fire momentarily blinding many people in the cavern. A moment later a crash was heard as Zarytinous was slammed into the platform he had left a few minutes prior.
Two yellow energy waves following Zarytinous and slammed into him only moments after the dragon slammed into the platform. With a roar the dragon shot out from the crater and shot towards Trunks. That blast had actually hurt it. There was a massive gap in the side of his body where the scales had been shredded and ripped from his torso. Dark black blood seeped from the open wound. Trunks was a threat to its existence and must be terminated at all costs.
Trunks was about to dodge out of the way when a massive storm of spells slammed into the dragon. Acid ate at the scales as lightning weakened the bonds holding it to the body while a bolt of ether simply punctured through the weakened scales and out the other side through the hole that Trunks had created. Spikes of rock shot through the air where they became super-heated and changed into spikes of magma just before they slammed into the dragon.
Now Zarytinous knew he was in trouble. There were two individuals there capable of hurting him. While the wounds were superficial and small considering his vast bulk, given time those two individuals may actually be able to kill him.
Zarytinous righted himself up and glared at the small elven girl in anger. "Kill them!" He roared, and the air was filled with explosions. Zarytinous swivelled his head around in surprise as he saw dozens of burning shadow dragons fall through the air to the floor far below.
"Finish your own battles yourself." Gohan said with a smirk as he lowered his arms. He turned to his friends. "You guys seemed to be handling him well. I'll make sure your fight isn't interfered with." Gohan reappeared behind Zarytinous and kicked him in the back, sending the dragon hurtling towards Trunks. "Catch!"
"Thanks Gohan!" Trunks yelled as wrapped his legs around Zarytinous' neck and threw him into the wall behind him.
More explosions filled the air as more shadow dragons were turned into burning husks of lifeless flesh. "Maybe I can up my kill count to two thousand." Gohan mused as he blasted dragon after dragon.
Trunks felt power levels of Vegeta, Bardock and Karreth begin to spike sharply. "RENZOKU ENERGY DAN!" Trunks shouted as he held his arm forward and began to shoot energy blast after energy blast towards the dragon faster than the eye could follow.
Sapphire followed suit, slinging spell after spell at the ancient wyrm. Much to her disgruntlement many of the instant spells like weaken, curse and others were shrugged off as if they were nothing more than gnats. Only damaging spells, and only as long as they were supped up, seemed to have any lasting effect on the dragon.
"FINAL" Vegeta spread his arms and legs out as a yellowish aura wrapped itself around his body crackling violently.
"KAME" Bardock brought his arms down to his side and cupped them as he gathered a huge amount of energy between them.
"MASENKO" Karreth raised her arms above her head. A large ball of yellow energy gathered above her hands.
Zarytinous broke out of the continuous assault on his person by Sapphire and Trunks and charged towards Vegeta in hopes of disrupting his attack when a draconic corpse slammed into him. The unbalanced dragon was easy prey for Trunks' next attack. A powerful punch slammed into Zarytinous' left eye splattering it like an over-ripe piece of fruit slamming into a wall at super-sonic speeds.
"HAME" Visible streams of blue energy began to stream ever more quickly into Bardock's cupped hands as the energy within grew larger and denser with every second.
Zarytinous roared in pain and agony at the destruction of his eye, and as a consequence was to preoccupied to even notice Sapphire's attack until two balls of magical energy slammed into his hide and rocked him back several dozen meters.
"FLASH!" Vegeta cupped his hands in front of him and unleashed a massive torrent of energy towards the stricken ancient wyrm.
"HA!" Bardock whipped his hands out before him and unleashed a massive blue energy wave towards the dragon at the same time as Vegeta.
"HA!" Karreth, following the other two, launched her massive energy assault at the same time.
Zarytinous recovered just in time to watch as the two energy waves curled around Vegeta's energy torrent to slam into him at the exact same time. The entire cavern exploded into light as the energy waves collided with the colossal figure of Zarytinous, and kept on going. Zarytinous' scream of agony echoed throughout the cavern, into the tunnels and out into the wilderness beyond as the energies ripped through his torso, completely destroying all vital internal organs and continued onwards into the wall and through the mountain.
The dragons outside took that as their cue. A scream of unbearable agony, that could have emanated from only Zarytinous, followed by a large wave of energy ripping through the mountain and heading out into space was fair indication that Zarytinous wasn't in any position to give them trouble. With roars of anger the dragons hurtled into the tunnel as they sought to wreck revenge upon their former brethren, the shadow dragons.
"Guys… I think we should huddle near that wall over there with our prize." Gohan said as he slowly floated over to the wall of a platform, holding onto the horn of Zarytinous which was attached to his head. "There are a lot of upset dragons shooting through those tunnels as we speak."
The others were quick to follow suit.
Gohan laid the head down on the ground and sat on the top of it just as the first of the dragons broke into the cavern. The death of Zarytinous had demoralized the shadow dragons and they were in no manner prepared for the onslaught that was to come. The saiyans simply watch with fascination as the dragons ripped into the former brethrens with almost child like abandon.
Sapphire turned away and began to weep softly. She still wasn't used to this whole sale slaughter and what was worse it was bringing back the bad memories of the previous fight she had with dragons. Gohan landed softly beside Sapphire and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's alright. It… had to be done. You saw their eyes. They were all insane. Consider this… easing their pain. They'll be able to pass into the next life now. Start a new life with new friends and family where they'll be happy once more." Gohan started. He began to say soothing words of comfort to Sapphire to help ease her suffering. He remembered how much he had hurt the first few times he had been forced to kill someone. Gohan could only hope she'll soon be able to deal with it on her own. He had a feeling there were going to be times in the future where all convenient excuses like 'insanity' or 'evil' will not be applicable.
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-(-oo-O-oo-)-
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An hour later…
"Is she going to be alright?" Liantrianious asked in concern.
They were all gathered outside resting near the base of the mountain. The head of Zarytinous lay nearby. They were waiting for Gohan to finish calming Sapphire down.
"Yes, I think she'll be fine. She was much worse the first time." Gohan said.
"She's just weak." Vegeta grumbled.
"I don't think she is." Gohan said as he rubbed her head. "Unlike us she isn't genetically built to handle combat and killing. I think she's handling this remarkably well when all things are considered. At least she doesn't break down in the middle of combat like the vast majority of people do after the first few times they kill someone."
"Ya whatever." Vegeta said. He turned away and walked over to the decapitated head and began inspecting it.
"I think I'll help carry that head to your destination. I know where you are headed. It's one of the Arkon's key cities: Tyrnail." Liantrianious spoke. "I wish to offer them a deal."
Gohan smiled in thanks, "Thanks, it'd be rather awkward trying to lug that big thing around behind us." Gohan said as he pointed at the head.
"I'm alright now Gohan." Sapphire said as she raised her head. "Let's keep going. I'm sorry for the trouble I'm causing." She said apologetically as she glanced at Vegeta.
Trunks snorted. "I thought you'd be used to his manner of speaking." Trunks said with a smile as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "He's always like that. I think a large bug crawled up his ass and died in there when he was a baby and he hasn't been able to pull it out yet." Trunks laughed bringing a smile to Sapphire's face.
"Hey! I heard that!" Vegeta yelled.
The smile on Sapphire's face grew a little wider.
"Heh, let's get going then." Gohan said with a smile as he stepped away from Sapphire.
Liantrianious lowered her wing to the ground and beckoned Sapphire to get on. "Here little one, ride on my back. It shall make your journey easier."
Sapphire smiled graciously and climbed on top of Liantrianious. With a powerful lunge and a single mighty beat of her wings Liantrianious was launched hundreds of feet into the air. Gohan and the others were quick to follow.
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-(-oo-O-oo-)-
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An hour later…
Rahkhain ignored the stares he was receiving as he weaved his way through the streets towards the command center. They were always looking at him, eying him, watching his every move like a hawk eying a juicy field mouse.
"Oh Rahkhain! Why don't you come inside for a moment? There is much we could… discuss." One of them called out.
Well, at least the passive ones watched him like a hawk. The aggressive ones did everything but pounce on him in the streets. He knew he shouldn't have killed that elder dragon. Now they wouldn't leave him alone.
Women.
Rahkhain ignored her and kept on walking through the streets. He had to report to the command center. His squad leader had sent him back to Tyrnail. A large city on the fringe of their lands designed to protect the inner cities. There were only five routes into the inner portion of their empire, and every route was guarded by a large and heavily fortified city. The other four cities were Junia, Unioa, Kinail and Olympia.
That wasn't to say that those five cities were the only defence they had. They were a race of warriors; all of their cities were heavily fortified. It was that those five, aside from the imperial capital, were the most heavily defended and fortified positions. Even a Thrask, should it ever manage to fit through the small tunnels, would have a difficult time getting through any of those cities.
"Rahkhain!" A voice called out.
A smile bloomed on Rahkhain's face as he turned to greet the voice. "Toril! How's it going?" Rahkhain said happily.
Toril was a large Arkon, several inches taller than Rahkhain and a little more heavily muscled. He had shoulder length dark brown hair and green eyes, an unusual combination in one of their kind and one that has singled him out on more than one occasion. A large double-bladed staff was strapped across his back and small throwing weapons could be seen holstered in various spots on his body. He was wearing enchanted demon-hide battle armor.
Toril and Rahkhain had been friends since childhood, growing up and training together. Toril had always been slower and weaker than Rahkhain, but he didn't hold it against his friend. Having him as a rival was a good way to stay in top condition, and as a consequence he became one of the most powerful Arkons of their generation. Toril, if anything, was thankful of Rahkhain for being as powerful as he was.
Toril laughed, "Doing great, didn't expect to see you back so soon. Did your position chaff you that much?" Toril said jokingly as he elbowed Rahkhain in the stomach.
Rahkhain laughed in return and punched Toril in the arm. "No, I'm here to deliver a message for the general. Want to come along?" Rahkhain asked.
Toril grinned, "Sure."
The two walked through the streets together talking of old battles and past times. Catching up on recent news and gossip. The elders in the council were still playing politics, trying to manipulate events to best suit themselves, as opposed to their people. Everyone knew what they were doing but with the elite guards protecting them there wasn't much anyone could do. Only the empress or her children could make the council do anything and they were content as long as they were safe and happy.
Women were hanging over him now as much as they were Rahkhain. The fact that the pair were close friends was lost on none and many were beginning to wonder if they had some sort of secret training routine that allowed them to become as powerful as they are. Unfortunately Toril was more interested in protecting his people than mating, so it ended up he ignored the women almost as much as his friend did. He didn't have time for a child.
There were rumours of a powerful female down by one of the gates as well. No one was sure though, there had been no confirmation but rumours had it that a female had risen above her station and had become stronger than most of the men. Kioynia was what the rumours had said her named was. Most scoffed at it saying women were only meant for breeding, the imperial family excluded of course, but Toril hoped otherwise. He didn't care if Kioynia was male or female; all he cared about was that she was supposedly very powerful. If that was so then it would mean another powerful person, like himself, was down by the gates fighting to hold them.
Toril had been named 'Demon Slayer' and 'Epsilon Champion' a week past for his efforts down at the Epsilon Gate where his efforts had averted disaster and prevented the gate from being overrun. That was where he had gotten the new battle armor. They had stripped the hides of a dozen demons to create it, reinforced it with special alloys shipped down from the mines and smelting plants in Hyuril and then enchanted it to greatly enhance its defensive capabilities.
Toril was given a week vacation for his efforts. Come tomorrow he would be back down at the Epsilon Gate to fight the demons once more. Their attacks were coming more frequently and with much more force.
"Unless a miracle happens… The gates are going to be overrun before the end of the year." Toril sadly commented.
"I won't let that happen." Rahkhain said fiercely. He looked down at his hand and clenched it tightly. "After this current assignment I'm going down to the gates myself. The council be damned, I'm not about to let our people lose that prime crop land because some bastards want to play politics."
Toril smiled, "That would be great. Finally some competent help. I honestly wonder about those council fools. All of our best warriors are doing menial tasks like you. It's as if they've given the gates up for lost and don't want to lose our best warriors so they're pulling them all back." Toril kicked a stone, a scowl creased his face. "They don't realize that if we had our best warriors there, like you, me, Kioynia, Jiraya, and the others… We'd be the ones beating THEM back."
"Don't worry. I'll hold the gates by myself if I have to. Those demons will only take them over my dead body." Rahkhain vowed.
The two of them turned at an intersection and the command center came into their line of sight. It was a massive seven story compound that looked like a miniature fortress.
"Not alone Rahkhain." Toril said as he slapped his friend on the back. "I'll be standing there right with you. Some of the others are starting to grumble about their positions as well. If you just up and march to the gates against orders to hold them many others may just follow you."
The two of them entered the headquarters through one of the many guarded entrances. The guards nodded at them and let them pass without a second glance. The two of them were becoming quite famous and there were few that hadn't heard of them.
"So anything interesting happen on your 'watch'?" Toril asked with a grin. He knew quite well that Rahkhain had been assigned one of the dullest, quiet, and monotonous duties possible.
"Perhaps." Rahkhain said with a grin.
Toril's eyes rose. "Oh? Do tell my dear friend." Toril asked.
"Just wait, the message is about it." He replied.
The two of them continued through the quiet halls in silence. It wasn't that the place wasn't boisterous; it was just that the walls were all sound proof. The place was designed so you could only hear things that were occurring behind you, as you moved deeper into the fortress complex. It was an ingenious defensive design making it possible for almost limitless ambush opportunities for the defenders. The defenders always knew just exactly where their enemies were based on sounds, but the attackers couldn't hear anything at all. No one knew if it was simply because of the way the building was designed or if it was due to a large amount of magical enchantments.
After several minutes of walking they entered a small room with a small desk with a small, for an Arkon, person sitting behind it.
"Yes? May I help you?" He asked.
"I'm here to see general Bob." Rahkhain said. "I have a message from my squad leader for him."
The small man yawned and waved them on. "Sure, whatever, go on in. No one has come to see him all day so he's probably bored."
Rahkhain gulped and entered the door the man had waved at. Toril hesitantly followed him.
The office was plain, very plain. In fact, it wasn't much different from the one they had left save it was slightly larger, had a larger desk with a lot of paper on it, and a huge Arkon sitting behind it grumbling as he ploughed his way through the stack of papers. Now Bob isn't a very imposing name, in fact some may consider it down right lame, but no one, absolutely no one, ever thought about saying it, even in whispers in dark corners thousands of miles away from him. Bob is not an imposing name, but the body it was attached too sure was. Tall even for an Arkon, standing nearly nine feet in height and almost half as much wide. He was huge, superbly muscled and was known to rip demons apart with his bare hands. It was said that when he was younger he actually managed to best an adult dragon with sheer raw strength and one look at this massive man gave much credence to the tale.
Bob looked up and scowled at Rahkhain and Toril. "What do you scum sucking sons of bitches want?" Bob snapped.
Rahkhain gulped and stepped forward to place a letter on Bob's desk. "It's a message from my squad leader, he says…"
"I don't give a fuck what that two-timing weakling loser has to say. What could possibly happen at that gate that would require my attention? The birds there fly upside down because there's nothing worth shitting on!"
"Well, we had visitors…" Rahkhain started.
"Visitors?" Bob said, staring hard at young Arkon. This was something new. "Ceh, now I can't whip the bastard when he returns." He turned his gaze on Toril. "And why are you here? Shouldn't you be fucking some dumb broad before your next assignment?"
"Well, I was escorting Rah…"
"Escorting? What the fuck? Against what? Rabid mice?" The general snapped. "About the greatest thing this man has to worry about are some fucking women jumping him in the street to gobble up his cock!" He opened the letter.
"Well I…"
"Shut the fuck up, I don't care! You can stare at your friend's ass while he walks through the street, I don't care." Bob said as he glanced over the letter. "Well, well, well. A group of wierdos drop out of no where and ask for entry. Then your cock sucking squad leader, god I hate that bastard. Someone should have him executed. He's nothing but a snivelling son of a shit. Yes, so we should keep a look out for a group of flaming homosexuals carrying a giant head. Great, just great." Bob muttered as he threw the letter behind him. "Like that'll happen, next thing you know a messenger will run through that door…"
The door burst open and a messenger appeared panting heavily. "General! A group of flaming homosexuals are flying towards us!"
"I'm seriously going to murder you." Bob said as he glared at the messenger.
The messenger gulped. "B-But that's not all! One of them is riding a dragon! AND IT'S HUGE!" The messenger shouted as he began to tremble. "It's over six hundred feet long and it's silver and gold!"
"WHAT?" Bob roared as he rose to his feet. Rahkhain's and Toril's eyes were both wide. The only known metallic dragon that was over six hundred feet in length was the ancient wyrm Liantrianious. No one wanted to tangle with her. She was said to be the most powerful and ancient of all the dragons. She could cause some serious destruction before she was brought down. Her breath weapon was capable of penetrating deep into the earth. She could strike directly at their city if she knew exactly where to fire.
"Yes general! It's true! I swear! They'll be here any second. The dragon is carrying something too; something large enough that it requires the dragon to use two of it's feet."
"It could be the head they were asked to recover." Rahkhain said, his mind quickly working through the information.
"I don't give a fuck about the head!" Bob snapped. "Rahkhain, Toril, come with me. We're going to greet this wyrm before she has a chance to attack the city. And you, messenger, you had better be dead by the time I get back or I'll kill you myself." Bob said as he rushed out the door.
Rahkhain and Toril were quick to follow, not wanting to meet a similar fate as the poor messenger who was now currently wetting himself in the general's office.
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-(-OO-o-OO-)-
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Above the city…
With a massive crash the head slammed into the ground moments before Liantrianious settled down beside it.
"Hope they don't make us wait too long." Vegeta grumbled as settled down onto the ground.
"Don't worry." Trunks said as he glanced down. "I can sense many people heading this way. Although what kind of welcome we can expect, considering we have a dragon with us, is what I am worried about."
True to Trunks' words no more than a few minutes later a large hatch exploded upwards and many warriors poured out from within its depths.
Soon the group was surrounded by many large and armed Arkons who were eying them warily, awaiting the command of their superior office to begin the attack.
"So much for a hospitable welcome." Trunks said dryly as he glanced around.
Vegeta sniffed as he folded his arms across his chest. "These peons can't even hurt us. Just check their power levels. The vast majority of them are weaklings! Bah, I don't see why we don't just blast the lot of them."
"Because, Vegeta, they are the first individuals on this planet to 'not' attack us on sight. That means they can be talked to, negotiated with." Gohan said as he stepped forward.
A massive Arkon stepped out from the crowd; he towered over Gohan and the others. Two other Arkons flanked him. Gohan eyed one of them strangely. He had seen him before, at the other hatch. And what was more, there was something about him.
"So, you are the flaming homosexuals that were mentioned to me." Bob said as he eyed Gohan up and down.
"What did he just call me!" Vegeta yelled.
"Can I rearrange his face Gohan?" Karreth said as she rubbed her hands together. "Come on, just a little!"
"Shut up you two." Bardock snapped. "Judging by the differences between him and the others I'm willing to bet that he's a high ranking officer and you know how those men act back home on our planet."
"We were told we could be allowed down below if we demonstrated our 'might' and brought a head of suitable size." Gohan said firmly, not back down from Bob. "Does the head of the ancient shadow dragon Zarytinous meet the specified requirements?" Gohan asked with a little smile on his face.
Bob glanced over at the head, at Liantrianious, and then back to Gohan. "Right, and I'm supposed to believe some weakling shit like you killed one of the most powerful creatures on this planet?"
Gohan smirked. "No, I didn't kill him. I didn't fight him at all." Gohan replied. "He wasn't worth my time. He was good exercise and practice for my friends though." Gohan said as he jabbed a thumb over his shoulders.
"I don't…"
"It is true." Liantrianious said as she took a lumbering step forward. "These mortals helped me and my children finish off the last of the shadow dragons, the ones that had been driven insane, by killing Zarytinous."
Bob eyed the ancient wyrm warily. "And what the fuck do you want? All of you. If I don't get a satisfactory answer, you will all die here."
Vegeta and Karreth began to snicker while Trunks just shook his head sadly.
Gohan sighed. "I think you're underestimating us. Regardless, we're hungry. We're almost out of food; we haven't had a safe place to sleep since coming to this planet. We've been looking for a place where we could rest, relax and feed ourselves. That is why we are here because unlike those other giant creatures out on the plains you didn't attack us on sight."
Bob scowled and turned to the ancient wyrm. "And you?"
Liantrianious smiled and began to transform, changing and morphing until she stood on two feet. Her wings disappeared into her back as she shrunk to the size of Sapphire. When she finished Liantrianious the dragon was gone. In her place was Liantrianious, the human female, beautiful beyond description. Gasps arose throughout the ranks of the Arkons. For a dragon to change into a human form was the ultimate sign of trust. In that form the dragon lost much of its natural defences, making it exceedingly vulnerable to attacks.
"I wish to propose a trade of services." Liantrianious said with a smile.
"And what would that be?" Bob inquired politely. So stunned by the display of trust on the part of his adversary that he had forgotten he was supposed to be harsh and rude.
"I have received word that your people are having some troubles with the indigenous demon race." Liantrianious said.
Bob spat onto the ground. "Bah, we're fine. Those demons are no match for us."
Liantrianious smiled, "No, you are not. Your elders are removing your best and brightest from the front lines. They are so stuck in the cycle that has gone on between your two races that they have given up before you've already lost." Bob scowled but said nothing. It was true and everyone knew it. "We too are having problems." Liantrianious admitted. "The recent betrayal of the shadow dragons has greatly hurt my race. We are not as numerous as we once were and the Titans are taking advantage of that, poaching on our lands, building settlements on previously neutral zones. We'll help you drive the demons as far back as you wish if you agree to help us drive the Titans from our lands."
Bob frowned for a moment as he contemplated this. Normally he would have just said no and killed the beast but her offer was a little too tempting to just brush off and ignore. The thought of having hundreds of dragons within those lowers tunnels sweeping through the ranks of the demons just kind of appealed to him for some reason.
"Who knows, perhaps if this alliance holds, some time in the future your race will be able to build settlements above ground and without fear of retribution from the Titans." Liantrianious said.
Murmurs were beginning to spread through the crowd. It was the dream of their race to once more live above the earth on the open plains. They had been forced underground in ancient times due to the constant warring between dragons and titans. They were often caught in between and their cities had been reduced to ruins.
"Do not listen to her general."
Everyone turned to look at the new arrival. A large, burly man with greying hair stepped from the crowd, flanked by two powerful guards.
"Elder Hakim. What are you doing here?"
"Checking to see what all the fuss was about. I am glad I arrived just in time to stop this." He said.
"Stop this? Why? If we accept her offer we'll be able to drive the demons back for good!" Bob said.
"The demons can not be defeated. You should know this as well as I. Just like in the past we will be pushed back, and in the next generation, we'll retake what we lost. It is the never-ending cycle, it can not be broken. The demons allow us to live simply for their amusement. At any moment they can completely overwhelm our race."
"That's a load of shit!" Rahkhain shouted as he pointed at the elder. He was upset now, he couldn't take the load of crap the elder was feeding them. "Maybe in the past that was true! We were weak then, but no more! Now we are strong, we are holding our own! Over the generations we've pushed forward and have been pushed back, but each time we were pushed back it's taken more and stronger demons using more complex strategies and still we've last a little longer each time! If you elders would stop weakening our front lines we could keep our lands indefinitely! You're so stuck in the past you can't see what's happening right now!"
"You forget your place youngling!" Hakim snapped at Rahkhain. "I was chosen for my position because of my knowledge and wisdom! Leave the thinking to your betters!"
"If this is the depth of your knowledge and wisdom." A new voice said, "Then perhaps it is time my mother chose a new council of elders."
Hakim whirled around only to get a sword rammed through his heart. As the elder toppled backwards the elite guards that had accompanied him unsheathed their weapons only to stop in there tracks. There before them stood a tall, muscular female with long black hair tied back into a long pony-tail. A few stray bangs hung lose and dangled in front of her face. Her piercing sky blue eyes gazed back and forth between the two guards who were transfixed upon her raised hand. Upon the middle finger was a ring bearing the royal insignia of the imperial family. She was dressed head to toe in black, loose fitting clothing with a mask covering everything from her eyes down. A long sheath was strapped to her back and several knives could be seen holstered to various places on her legs and waist.
She lowered the mask from her face and gasps were heard through the assembled crowd
Bob and many others dropped to their knees. "Princess Liana, I didn't know you were here. Forgive me." Bob grovelled.
"Oh stand up general. I'm Kioynia at the moment. I'm not like my sister; I don't need men to grovel at my feet to feel good about myself." She snapped. "That goes for the rest of you as well." She addressed the crowd
Kioynia turned to Liantrianious. "Are you serious about aiding my people against the demonic legions?" She asked.
Liantrianious smiled. "Of course. We need your help, you need ours. We both gain from this exchange of services so why would I not be serious? Like I said before, my race will help push the demons as far back as you desire. Afterwards we would ask that you assist us in removing the titans from our lands."
"And what makes you so sure that we will go through with our side of the bargain after you help us?" Kioynia asked.
"Because, you have yet more you can gain from aiding us. By helping my people to drive the titans from our lands, you'll prove to us that you are not the barbaric mortals you once were. Our alliance may hold, or at least settle into a peaceful relationship. By doing so, should you ever decide to come above ground again, you would not have to worry about being caught in the middle of our conflicts. If anything we would work together to thwart the titan advances as it would be advantageous to us both." Liantrianious replied.
Kioynia nodded, "You make a good argument. I'll have to contact my mother to make sure but I don't foresee any difficulties."
A loud rumble echoed through the ground startling everyone. Gohan held his stomach in one hand and scratched his head with the other. "Uh, I don't suppose I could get some food in the mean time?" He asked with a laugh.
Trunks laughed. "Typical Gohan…"
To be continued…
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A/N: For the nit picky ones. I know masenko-ha isn't really an attack. It means, I think, "Hidden Power - Release". Which is why only Gohan used it because he had that 'hidden' power and when it was released against (like finally brought to the surface for good) Cell he never used it again because it wasn't hidden anymore. But I dun care, in this story it's an attack.
A/N: Sorry about the late release. 2 reasons. 1, Crap ton of school work, like you would not BELIEVE the amount. And 2, I ran outa motivation. As a consequence until I get it back expect the updates to be few and far between.